Laois native Nicole Turner, the flag bearer at the 2016 paralympics in Rio, is set for her third Paralympic Games.
The Portarlington swimmer claimed a medal in Tokyo four years ago and will be hoping for more this time.
Nicole’s first event is taking place on Thursday, August 29 at 10:03 Irish time where she will compete in the 50m freestyle heat.
She will be in contention for more medals when she fights for a place in the finals in the 50m fly heat on Tuesday, September 3 at 9:12.
During her maiden paralympics in 2016 she impressively competed in five different events qualifying for the final in every single one.
In Rio, she managed to establish personal best times in six out of her ten races, with her best result being a fifth-place finish in the 50-meter butterfly event.
However it was the 2020 games in Tokyo where she made a name for herself. Competing in her favoured competition, the 50m butterfly she brought home silver.
Still, she was the youngest member of the Ireland team and was selected as the closing ceremony flag-bearer.
Now though, focus shifts to this year’s paralympics. No longer is she going into the competition an underdog after her strong showings at the European Championships this year.
Competing in the para-swimming (S6) category, she will be hoping to go on better than last year and wrestle the gold medal from the grasp of current holder Jiang Yuyan.
Despite only being 21, Nicole has the CV of a veteran swimmer and a trophy cabinet well beyond her years.
She heads into these games with a serious chance of bringing home a medal to Ireland and more specifically Laois.
