The Paralympic silver medallist and European champion Niamh McCarthy announced her retirement from Paralympic Sport today
Niamh McCarthy has called time on her Paralympic career at the age of 27. The Cork woman was best known as Ireland’s leading discus throwers.
She competed in the F40/41 classification as an athlete with reduced stature.
The discus thrower first broke onto the international scene in 2013 and progressed quickly on the world stage. She secured her first major medal at the World Championships in Doha where she won the Bronze medal.
The Carrigaline native never looked back after that first taste of podium success and replicated it with a World Championship medal in 2017 and again in 2019. McCarthy has also triumphed at the European level as she won silver in 2016 but better was to follow in 2019 when she became European champion for the first time.
Thanks everyone for the kind words over the last days! Tokyo2020 was a whirlwind of emotion but I wouldn’t change a thing! Also want to say a massive thank you to my longtime sponsor @FlogasIreland who have supported me for years and made this journey that bit easier! ❤️ Arigato! pic.twitter.com/0VQmcla9dy
— Niamh McCarthy (@niamhmacdiscus) September 6, 2021
Her crowning moment came in 2016 when she competed for Team Ireland at the Rio 2016 Games.
McCarthy certainly saved her best for the biggest stage as she produced a staggering throw of 27:05m to record a new personal best in the event which secured the Cork
woman the silver medal.
She now finishes her career with many medals and records under her belt; two European golds, one silver; one World silver, two bronze; and one Olympic silver. She also owns the European record for discus throw since August 2018 with a distance of 31.76 meters.
What a Games! We will miss you, Japan 🇯🇵
Arigatō Tokyo 2020 💚 ありがとう#Paris2024 we’ll be ready! #TeamIreland | #TheNextLevel pic.twitter.com/dDC0l7skaB
— Paralympics Ireland (@ParalympicsIRE) September 5, 2021
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