Buncrana woman loses out to defending champion at Paralympics – but has another go tonight

RENA MCARRON-ROONEY was beaten by top Chinese player Jing Liu at the Paralympic Games in Rio this afternoon.

The Buncrana woman, competing in table tennis at the Games, lost out to the defending champion Liu in straight sets 11-9, 11-4, 11-2.

McCarron-Rooney, now bsed in Galway, is back in action at the Riocentro tonight when she faces Maha Bargouthi from Jordan.

Married to a six-time Paralympian, Ronan Rooney, she is ranled inside the world’s top ten in her category, TT2, which is specified as “no sitting balance with severe reduction of function in the playing arm.”

McCarron-Rooney also has to strap the bat in her right hand and, because of balance issues, is also secured in the chair.

She represented Ireland at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and since then also competed at the 2014 World Championships and won a silver medal at the European Championships in 2015.

Meanwhile, Katie-George Dunlevy finished seventh, alongside her partner Eve McCrystal finished in seventh position in the individual Kilo B in a personal best of 1.12.332.

Dunlevy, who also competed in London, is UK-born, but her father, John, is originally from Mountcharles.