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*Written by Karishma Sarkari
The family of swimmer Jack Ireland was cheering him on in the stands of the Paris La Defense Arena as the Australian took home a medal on his Paralympic debut.
The 25-year-old may have been pipped at the post for silver in the men’s 200m freestyle S14, but he grabbed bronze and set a new personal best.
His mum, Sharon, and grandmother, Denise, couldn’t have been prouder.
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“I can’t even tell you right now what I’m thinking,” Sharon told Nine’s Nick McArdle.
“That was incredible … It was fantastic.
“It means the absolute world to Jack to have done this,” Sharon added, fighting off tears.
“I can’t thank his coach, Dave Heyden at UQ, enough. He’s kept him on a level field the whole time and I’m so happy for him. I’m so happy.”
Watch every moment, every medal of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now. Plus, every event streaming ad free, live and on demand with 4K on Stan Sport.
Jack Ireland with his bronze medal. Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images
Team Jack Flash, as they call themselves, were decked out in green and gold t-shirts with Ireland’s face on them.
“That was just fantastic,” Denise told McArdle.
“We waited a long while for this and he’s just really good.”
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