Ellen Keane secured a third medal for Team Ireland on the final night of the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships in Manchester. The Tokyo 2020 champion claimed a World silver in the 100 Breaststroke SB8 Final with a time of 1:21.43.

The NAC swimmer touched the wall just 1.42 seconds behind Spaniard, Anastasiya Dmytriv who claimed the gold medal, the result for Keane also secured Team Ireland an all important slot for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Speaking after the final Keane said: ”I’m delighted, obviously I’m disappointed not to have won the gold medal and it is my last world championships so that opportunity is gone but I’ve booked another slot for Paris and I’m so happy with that.”

It was a busy final day for the Team Ireland as four of the five Irish swimmers all featured, including Róisín Ní Riain who bagged a gold and silver medal this week. The National Centre (Limerick) swimmer closed out her week with a fourth place finish in the 200 IM S13 Final with 2:29.11.

Following the final, Ní Riain said: “It’s not quite the result I would have liked but I think these are the kind of swims that you learn from so I can go back home and put in a good year and hopefully put in a better one next time.”

Nicole Turner and Dearbhaile Brady both brought the curtain down on the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships for Team Ireland in the 50 Butterfly S6 Final. Turner clocked 36.94 to finish fourth, narrowly missing out on a podium place by a mere .14 behind bronze and .44 behind silver. Chinese swimming sensation, Yuyan Jiang was the first to touch claiming gold in 34.55, lowering her own World Record that she set at the Tokyo Paralympic Games (34.56).

Turner said: “It was tough to finish on but I think everyday is a learning day and I did learn a lot from that race and a lot can happen in para sport. I went in third and came out fourth.”

Also featuring was Limavady swimmer Dearbhaile Brady, who made her debut appearance at a World Para Swimming Championships, Brady stopped the clock in 38.77 to finish fifth.

After the race, Brady said: “Swimming against world class athletes was just amazing. I grew up looking up to Nicole and even swimming against her at a national level is amazing.”