By Rory McKee
r.mckee@ardschronicle.co.uk
THE father of Newtownards para swimmer Barry McClements has spoken of his immense pride after watching his son bounce back from a freak injury to be in with a shot at bringing home a medal from the Paralympic Games.
Tuesday’s 100m Backstroke S9 Final may not have gone to plan for local hero Barry McClements, but dad Barry holds higher hopes of a podium place for his son in the upcoming Butterfly event at La Défense Arena in Paris.
That McClements is even in a position to compete at these Games is quite something in itself. The 22 year-old’s participation was cast into major doubt after suffering a double fracture to his exposed femur last autumn, when his prosthetic limb came undone one evening last September while out walking with friends.
Fighting fit again as he prepares to go in lane three for tomorrow morning’s 100m Butterfly S9 Heats, Barry senior is feeling good about his son’s chances.
“I think he’s in a good place. He’s very chilled about it all, he has a good bunch of guys and girls around him and the team spirit is really high.
“I don’t like putting any pressure on him, but I believe the Butterfly is the one,” he said.
“He’ll need a bit of luck of course, you’re talking milliseconds between getting on the podium or not.
“But he has already proven himself, first at the Commonwealths and then at the Europeans. This is the next step and I just have a gut feeling that this is his moment.”
Lifting the lid on the former West Winds Primary pupil’s injury woe in the build-up to the Games, Barry explained: “After it happened he was in pure agony going to training and the consultants were all telling him he’d have to take a break.
“They wanted to operate on him and I told him the priority was him being able to walk, but he just refused to stop and it healed faster than expected.
“I don’t think he was walking properly until Christmas time, but gradually he got back up to full training and he was flying.”
Flying indeed, Barry, who made history by winning Northern Ireland’s first-ever swimming medal at a Commonwealth Games in 2022, went on to claim a bronze medal at April’s European Para Swimming Championships in Madeira – just months after the double fracture.
“Barry’s just one of a kind,” his dad continued.
“I don’t mean this in a bad way, but he’s a freak of nature. For a wee lad with one leg to do what he can do is just phenomenal.
“I don’t think people realise just how much he’s achieved at such a young age. I know everybody thinks their kids are amazing, but he’s just different gravy.
“We’ve started calling him the ‘comeback kid’ for the way he’s come back from a freak accident. That’s the sort of thing you only see in a Rocky or Sylvester Stallone film!” he laughed.
“There’s so many people in Newtownards who are behind him and that’ll encourage him even more.
“There are some kids at the local school who when they have to name somebody they want to be like, they say Barry. I get goosebumps just talking about it.
“Barry has a new coach over at Bangor, a Canadian guy called Kevin Anderson who’s getting the best out of him,” added Barry.
“They’ve been working together for just over a year and they gel so well together.
“He loves the sport so much that I think he will carry on for many years to come. Paris isn’t the end, I still believe he is destined for great things and he’ll always be a hero in my eyes.”
You can watch Barry in action in the 100m Butterfly S9 Heat 1 tomorrow (Friday) at 09.18am BST on the Channel4 Sport YouTube channel.
