The sixteenth Paralympic Summer Games get underway today in Tokyo.
Britney Arendse and Jordan Lee will carry the Irish tricolour at the opening ceremony.
Kilkenny has two local interests as Rosemary Gaffney will represent Team Ireland in dressage while Mary Fitzgerald will compete in the f40 shot put.
Mary’s Gowran Athletic clubmate David Deniife spoke to KCLR Scoreline about the shotputter’s chances of returning home with a medal.
“In about 2015 she joined up with Gowran AC and we did a bit of work her and she did her own stuff, and then when she went to college in 2018/2019 she has been working with a guy called John McCarthy who is a very good Paralympics throws coach and her progression in those three years has been absolutely excellent,” said David.
“She has gone on to compete in world championships where she came seventh and Europeans where she picked up a bronze and now she’s going to Tokyo with a real real prospect of a good medal” he added.
