Videos:How the medal was won & Medal Ceremony

In case you missed all the action in the Discuss Final here are some of the highlights from Noelle’s great day in Rio.

Noelle was drawn to throw second in the opening round and set a strong marker for the rest of the field setting a new Paralympic record of 31.71m. But her main challenger to the title Mi Na had her own marker to set, breaking the world record with her opening throw.

The atmosphere in the stadium built over the four following rounds as the largest crowd to date in the Paralympics cheered on Brazilian Shirlene Coelho who was in second place between Noelle and Mi Na. The final round of throws was a nail biting affair as Noelle was under pressure to stay ahead of the Canadian Renne Danielle Foessel who was throwing very consistently and had beaten/run very close to Noelle in every round bar the crucial opening round. If she beat Noelle’s record throw of 31.71m then Noelle would have to throw better again to keep her hands on the Bronze. Here is the video from that crucial final set of throws.

Noelle’s level of maturity on the field was only surpassed by her maturity in the media centre afterwards. Not many 16 year olds would perform as well as Noelle did in front of the worlds media.

Unfortunately the live TV coverage ended before the medal ceremony took place. Fortunately though the Paralympics Committee have an excellent Youtube Channel. Here is the medal ceremony that we all missed:

Going for Gold – Rio 2016

Hazelwood College student Noelle Lenihan will tonight grace the world stage at the Opening Ceremony of the IPC Paralympics in Rio, Brazil. At 17 years old, Hazelwood College’s Noelle Lenihan is one of Ireland’s youngest athletes and has been named by the International Paralymic Committee as ‘One to Watch’. Noelle won silver at the 2015 World Championships and gold in this year’s European Championships. Having already twice broken the world record in the F38 Discuss, Noelle is first in the world rankings and one of our best medal prospects.

noelle rio3

Everyone at Hazelwood College wishes her the best in this years Paralympics and (no pressure!) we can’t wait to see her win the medal on the 17th of September in the Dicuss (F38)


Here is Noelle’s Profile from the International Paralymics website:

LENIHAN Noelle
Sport Athletics
NPC Ireland   
Gender Women
Age 16
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?
She took up para-athletics in Charleville, Ireland.
Why this sport?
Her father trained as an athletics coach so that he could train her.
Club / Team
North Cork Athletics Club: Ireland
Name of coach
Dave Sweeney [national]; Jim Lenihan [father]
Senior International Debut
Year
2015
Competing for
Ireland
Tournament
Grand Prix
Location
Berlin, GER
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto
“Throw me to the wolves and I’ll return leading the pack.” (Instagram profile, 09 Sep 2015)
Awards and honours
She received the Achievement Award at the 2015 Munster Star Awards in Ireland. (corkathletics.org, 2016)

She was named the Sportswoman of the Month for October 2015 by Cork City Sports in Ireland. (irishtimes.com, 12 Nov 2015)

Famous relatives
Her sisters Megan and Eimear have both competed in athletics at national level. (hazelc.ie, 20 May 2014)
Ambitions
To win a medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (the42.ie, 26 Mar 2016)
Competition Highlights (historical)
World Championships
Rank Year Event Result
2 2015 Discus Throw F38 31.64
European Championships
Rank Year Event Result
1 2016 Discus Throw F38 32.14

Watch the Paralympics Live on RTE, Channel 4, Setanta Go and through the official live channels on Youtube …here…