Paralympic swimmer Roisin Ni Riain has opened up about her amazing achievements so far after a fantastic performance at the Paralympics.
The Limerick native took home a silver and a bronze medal earlier this year, which she admitted she didn't expect to do.
She also opened up about having been so successful already, at the age of only 19.
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Speaking to RSVP Magazine about her success in the 2024 Paralympics, she said: "It’s a really, really great feeling. Coming in, I obviously had expectations of myself but to come away with two medals is absolutely brilliant, I wasn’t quite expecting that! Those two finishes will only leave me more hungry going into the future."
She enjoyed some well-deserved downtime in her home county after her achievements.
"It is quite nice now not being in the water and having some time off, it’s very well needed at the moment," said Roisin. "I have a couple of weeks left in my break and it’s nice to come home and celebrate with friends and family. They've sacrificed a lot as well as me to be able to get to where I am, so to share this time with them is nice."
Roisin is just 19, which is amazing considering the fantastic career she has had already. But does it mean she feels extra pressure to outdo herself because she's achieved so much already?
"I just think for me, anytime I get out to a race I try to treat them the same, whether it be a small competition in Limerick or a competition like the Worlds," she explained. "Each opportunity you get to race is a chance to do your best so I try to take that mindset into every race and that’s what helps me stay relaxed and nerve-free. If you’re looking at every race with that point of view, it takes away some of the pressure because all I really want to do at the end of the day is go out and perform to the best of my abilities."
With Dancing With The Stars set to return to our screens in January, we have all been looking forward to seeing who the contestants will be. With Paralympians Jason Smyth winning the 2024 Glitterball and Ellen Keane coming second in 2022, would Roisin ever try her hand at it?
"I definitely think I'll be sticking to the pool for now!" she laughed. "I'm very young, so I've hopefully got much more to come."
Read Roisin's full interview in RSVP Magazine's November issue, on shelves now
English (US) ·