Orla Comerford confirmed her stature as one of the top female sprinters in para athletics by claiming her second gold medal at the World Championships in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The Raheny Shamrock runner produced another commanding run to claim the 200m title in the T13 category (contested by athletes with a visual impairment) just two days after racing to victory with an equally dominant performance in the 100m final.
The new double world champion has delivered the best season of her track career with this World Championships success coming just 12 months after Comerford won bronze in the 100m final at last year’s Paralympic Games in Paris.
In a repeat of Sunday’s 100m victory, Comerford again led from the gun in the 200m showdown.
However, she had to work hard to see off the determined challenge of defending champion Rayane Soares da Silva from Brazil coming down the home straight, with Comerford once again demonstrating her strong finishing ability to pull away over the last 20m to finish in a time of 24.71 seconds.
Soares da Silva was second in 25.24 while America’s Kym Crosby was third in 25.64. It was the same top three podium finishers, and in the same order, to Sunday’s 100m race.
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Comerford’s fastest time at 200m is 24.62 so the 28-year-old Dubliner was operating close to her personal best, which is all the more impressive coming just two days after participating in the 100m final.
“The goal for me here was to try and win that 100, for me the 200 was the cherry on top,” said Comerford.
“After Monday night I was just like it’s there, I feel good, I feel strong. And I think, as well, the Brazilian broke the world record in both the 100 and the 200 in the summer so I knew that coming out and beating her in the 100 would put down a mark.
“I wanted to put my stamp on that [100m] and show that I’m here to contend.”
It is Ireland’s third medal – all gold – at these World Championships with Greta Streimikyte producing one of her strongest displays on the biggest stage to win the T13 1,500m final on Sunday night in a time of 4:39.62.
Lana Sutton, who finished eighth in the T38 100m final on Monday, will compete in the heats for the 200m at 3.12pm Irish time on Wednesday.
