The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, has tonight congratulated Mark Rohan and
Jason Smyth on their fabulous achievement of winning double gold medals at
the London 2012 Paralympics. Mark Rohan, who had already won the 8km race
on Wednesday, today won the 48km H1 Road Race while Jason Smyth added the
200m T13 gold medal to his 100m medal in World Record time. The Taoiseach
also extended his congratulations to Catherine O'Neill who won a fantastic
silver medal in the F51/52/53 Women's Discus.
The Taoiseach said, "I would like to extend the congratulations of the
whole country to Mark, Jason and Catherine on their fantastic achievements
at the London 2012 Paralympics today. Winning a medal at any major
championships is a tremendous achievement but to win at the highest stage
of them all proves an athlete to be one of the best in the world not just
physically, but mentally too. To win two gold medals at the one games is an
unbelievable accomplishment and it shows that Mark and Jason are two of the
leading athletes in the world."
Today's medals bring Ireland's medal total to 16, including 8 golds. The
Taoiseach added his congratulations to the entire team saying, "The London
2012 Paralympics team have surpassed all expectations at London 2012. Their
families and the whole country are immensely proud of all their
achievements and we look forward to welcoming them back to the country and
to their local communities next week. Before then we hope for another
memorable weekend as the games draw towards a close."