Chief coach at Barnet Copthall Swimming Club Rhys Gormley believes James O’Shea’s fourth place in the Paralympics will spur him on to medal success in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The 34-year-old just missed out on a medal postition in the 100m breaststroke SB5 final with a time of 1.38.30 – a season’s best.
O’Shea has only been competing for two seasons and Gormley believes the swimmer can achieve more in four years time.
He said: “James has done remarkably to finish fourth in his first Paralympics just two years after taking up competitive swimming. “I know he felt good going into the final and was disappointed not to finish in a medal position.
“I hope this will spur him on to train harder so that he can achieve more in the future and perhaps gain that medal at Rio 2016.
“Everyone at Barnet Copthall Swimming Club was immensely proud of James’ achievement with many of our senior swimmers and coaches travelling to the Aquatics Centre to add our voices to the cheers during his races.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here