IRELAND won their second medal at the Paralympics in Atlanta on Sunday when Grainne Barrett-Condron threw 8.07 metres to take the bronze medal in the amputee class of the women's shot putt.

This follows Sharon Rice's bronze - Ireland's first medal at the paralympics - in the cerebal palsy category of the same discipline on Saturday night. For those not au fait with the standards and intensity of the competition at these games, it suffices to say that there are no less than 120 countries and 3,500 participants fighting it out for medals.

Sharon Rice was only inches away from repeating her achievement of the previous evening when finishing just out of the medals in the loo metres for sprinters with cerebral palsy. She finished fourth with a time of 22.23 seconds. Equally as commendable was the effort of Lorraine Gallagher. She clocked 25.52 in the same race to take eighth.

Garret Culliton threw 10.54 metres in the javelin for men in wheelchairs to claim the same eighth position as he did in the shot putt, and Patrice Dockery was an unlucky 18.04 seconds fourth in the 100 metres for women in wheelchairs.

Out of the 320 US competitors on view probably the most astounding performances to date have come from 13-year-old Leeann Shannon. In Dockery's event, Shannon broke the world record, which she set only the previous day in a heat, when timed at 16.62 seconds.

Bridie Lynch and Catherine Walsh compete in the women's discus for the blind today. Lynch is thought to be a particularly strong medal candidate. Michael Delaney also takes his chance in the blind men's long jump.

At the equestrian centre this afternoon, Joan Salmon and Ann Harvey begin a three-day examination of their considerable skills in dressage for the blind.

On the water, the Irish three-man sailing team sliced through the testing conditions to finish sixth of 15 crews in what was the first in a series of six races. They are seen as serious medal contenders. Hopefully, helmsman Mike Hendra can lead team-mates Donal Buckley and John Sullivan to a high order position.

In soccer, Ireland went down 2-0 to Russia over the weekend. This was a closer game than the scoreline would suggest. It was well into the second half before Russia forced the vital breakthrough. In an eight-team competition, there are two groups of four with Ireland drawn in with Russia, USA, and Brazil.