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On day five of competition, Deaten Registe was the sole competitor for Team Ireland in the La Défense Arena water. Relatively new to the international stage, Registe headed into these Games having competed in just one other major international meet, the 2024 European Para Swimming Championships.
The Lisburn City swimmer was up against fierce competition in the 100m Breaststroke (SB14), including World Record holder and Tokyo gold medallist Naohide Yamaguchi (Japan) and Tokyo silver medallist Jake Michel of Australia, both in his heat. Registe showed he can hold his own against the best coming fourth in his heat and eight overall with a time of 1:08.49 to secure a place in tonight’s final.
Speaking initially after the race, Registe said, “I feel good, the race went okay but I feel like I’ve got more in me, I’m happy. I just want to go out there, try my best, give it my all and see what I can do. To make a final on my Paralympic debut, I’m just over the moon, my coach (Stan Sheppard) was here supporting me too.”
Speaking on the support, Registe added, “It’s been class, watching the racing the last few days has me excited to race, seeing the crowd and stuff, it’s been great.”
This evening in Paris, Deaten Registe competed on the Paralympic Games final stage for the first time in his career, finishing in sixth in the world and setting a new lifetime best of 1:07.82 in the 100m Breaststroke SB14 Final.
The Lisburn City swimmer, who’s first outing on the international scene came just last April, showed he can compete with the best after coming through a stacked heat this morning, which included Tokyo Paralympic gold and silver medallists.
On front of a packed crowd in the La Défense Arena, Registe took the occasion in his stride going quicker than his morning heat swim (1:08.49) and breaking his previous lifetime best of 1:07.90, set in January of this year.
Speaking after the event, the 20-year-old said, “It felt better than this morning, I wanted to go quicker, than this morning, I came back strong and it’s a personal best. It’s really good to get the experience of what the Games is like, it’s my first one, I made my debut tonight and went faster tonight, I’m happy out. I aim to try get lower (the time) as times goes on, so hopefully I can be in LA.
“It’s been great having my family here and be able to watch me race, it’s great to have my coach and friends here too.”
A bumper schedule awaits Team Ireland on day six, with five Para swimmers all in the pool tomorrow morning. Ellen Keane will bring the curtain down on her career, heading to the blocks for her last event (S9 100m Backstroke) before she steps away from the pool, while Nicole Turner and Dearbhaile Brady both compete in the S6 50m Butterfly, Turner looking to defend her Tokyo 2020 silver medal. Also in the water for his first Paris 2024 outing is National Centre Ulster’s Barry McClements, competing in the 100m Backstroke (S9), while Paralympic silver medallist, Róisín Ní Riain features in the 200m IM (SM13).
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