World champion Roisín Ní Ríain primed for Paralympics in Paris

A world champion following her exploits in Manchester last summer, Limerick swimmer Roisín Ní Ríain isn't getting fixated with medals as the Paris Paralympic Games loom into view in the autumn.

Ní Ríain was only 16 when she made her Paralympic debut in Tokyo, making a glut of finals in the S-13 class in the backstroke, breaststroke, medley and butterfly.

While a medal eluded her on that occasion, Ní Ríain has continued to progress since then, first earning a place on the podium at world level in Madiera in 2022, taking the bronze in the 100m backstroke and the 100m butterfly.

Last August in Manchester witnessed further evolution as Ní Riain earned a silver in the butterfly before clambering onto the top of the podium in the backstroke, swimming a personal best time of 1:06.62.

"It's been a good couple of years since Tokyo," Ní Riain told RTÉ Sport's John Kenny, at an event organised by Team Visa.

"The worlds in 2022 was my first major international medal on the world stage.

"And this summer, the worlds in Manchester were absolutely amazing and I had some good performances there too. It's a nice way to build into this year.

"I was only 16 (in Tokyo). It was definitely quite the experience back then. My attitude was just trying to take it all in and learn as much as I can.

"It was definitely a strange one with all the Covid measures in place. But nonetheless, it was one of the best experiences ever for me. Just seeing the village, athletes from all different sports from all different countries in the world, that I look up to - it was an unreal experience."

Technically, the gold medal in Manchester didn't secure her place in this year's Paralympics, as Ní Riain explains.

"The way it works is I was able to earn a female slot for the