Irish swimmer Róisín Ní Riain successfully defended her S13 100m backstroke title at the 2026 World Para Swimming European Championships in Kocaeli, Turkey, delivering a dominant performance to claim gold in a personal best time of 1:06.21 on Thursday.

The Limerick native, who trains at the National Centre Limerick, took control of the final from the start after qualifying fastest from the morning heats. Ní Riain finished 2.80 seconds clear of Italy's Carlotta Gilli, who took silver in 1:09.01, while Great Britain's Ursula Carroll secured bronze in 1:10.56.

Speaking following the final, Ní Riain said she was delighted with her performance in her primary event, noting that she had been looking forward to the race all week. She added that hearing Amhrán na bhFiann from the top of the podium was a special moment and credited her coaching and support staff back home for her continuous progress.

The gold medal represents Ní Riain's second podium finish of the championships, following a silver medal in the S13 100m freestyle on Wednesday. Team Ireland's success in Kocaeli continued on Thursday afternoon as teammate Dearbhaile Brady claimed silver in the women's S6 50m butterfly final, bringing Ireland's total haul at the championships to four medals.