Another 11 Irish swimming records, on top of the 20 broken at the European Short Course Championships in Glasgow last week, tumbled on the opening evening of Swim Ireland’s Irish Short Course Swimming Championships at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, Dublin.
Mona McSharry and Shane Ryan topped the national-record breakers in Glasgow with a bronze medal each. In Dublin in the first of four days of racing, Ryan wrote another new line in the Irish swim book, as did Danielle Hill, Brendan Hyland, Daniel Wiffen, and Paddy Johnston. There were also new national standards in five relays.
Danielle Hill – Photo Courtesy: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE
Hill, who broke the minute mark in the 100m backstroke for the first time in Glasgow, took another 0.33sec off her Irish record of 58.62, from her semi-final in Glasgow, to take gold in 58.29. She was not done there. Later in the session, the Larne swimmer claimed the 50m freestyle crown in 24.78.
Wiffen opened the first session of finals with Irish records senior and junior in the 800m freestyle: in 7:54.15, inside Andrew Meegan’s 2013 standard of 7:59.92, Wiffen became the second Irishman inside 8 minutes.
Hyland, who broke the 400m medley mark in Glasgow last week, added another Irish standard to his treasury with a 1:56.74 victory in the 200m medley. The time shaved 0.20sec off the mark established by James Brown a week ago.
Tokyo Qualification 2020 Drive Cracks All Four 4×100 Free Standards
Shane Ryan – Photo Courtesy: Mike Comer/ProSwimVisuals.com
Ireland has not qualified for an Olympic relay race since Munich 1972. Under the guidance of Jon Rudd and his performance team, the Irish are trying to turn that ship around.
Efforts include “opportunities to develop a stronger and more prominent relay culture within our swimming ranks … as often as possible”. That meant staging Ireland relays in exhibition swims at nationals.
Shane Ryan celebrates double-record solo and relay action at nationals in Dublin – Photo Courtesy: Swim Ireland
The result: all four Ireland Women’s and Men’s Senior and Junior teams wiped out the national 4x100m freestyle records.
- The senior women: 13 seconds off the 1991 record of 3:54.72 in 3:41.09
- The junior women: 13 seconds off the previous 4:01.07 mark in 3:48.21.
- The senior men: Shane Ryan lead off in an Irish 100m freestyle record of 46.68, setting up the new relay standard of 3:10.19 that clobbered the 3:24.66 from 1994.
- The junior men took 10 seconds off the old standard of 3:32.96 in 3:22.02.
In other relay action, Bangor men broke their own 4x50m Freestyle Irish club relay record in 1:27.70 while Aer Lingus, for the second year, won the women’s final in 1:45.82.
Day 1 Results:
- Men 800m Freestyle: 1st Daniel Wiffen Lisburn 7:54.15 ISR/IJR 2nd Liam Custer Sundays Well 8:06.74 3rd Nathan Wiffen Lisburn 8:20.51
- Women 200m Butterfly: 1st Ellen Walshe Templeogue 2:09.94 2nd Eline Vik SNDNS 2:14.31* / Amelia Kane Ards 2:15.79 3rd Ellie McKibbin Ards 2:18.84
- Men 200m Butterfly: 1st Cillian Melly National Centre Limerick 1:58.15 2nd Paddy Johnston Ards 1:58.96 IJR 3rd Ethan Hansen NCD/Trojan 1:59.82
- Women 100m Backstroke: 1st Danielle Hill Larne 58.29 ISR 2nd Katelyn Bergin Aer Lingus 1:00.60 3rd Maria Godden Kilkenny 1:00.83
- Men 100m Backstroke: 1st Rory McEvoy NCD 53.59 2nd Sean Scannell NCD 54.56 3rd Tainyu Zhou China 55.75* / Sean McNicholl Templeogue 56.17
- Women 50m Freestyle: 1st Danielle Hill Larne 24.78 2nd Mona McSharry Marlins 25.19 3rd Tina Tang China 25.31* / Niamh Kilgallen NCD 25.59
- Men 50m Freestyle: 1st David Thompson Bangor 22.57 2nd Curtis Coulter Bangor 22.67 3rd Isaac Fitzmaurice NAC 23.19
- Women 200m IM: 1st Rebecca Reid Ards 2:15.34 2nd Molly Mayne Templeogue 2:16.39 3rd Eline Vik SNDN 2:19.39* / Caitriona Finlay Aer Lingus 2:21.90
- Men 200m IM: 1st Brendan Hyland NCD 1:56.74 2nd Cillian Melly NCL 1:59.53 3rd Cadan McCarthy NCL 2:01.97
- Women 4x50m Freestyle Relay: 1st Aer Lingus 1:45.82 2nd Ards 1:46.05 3rd Bangor 1:49.52
- Men 4x50m Freestyle Relay: 1st Bangor 1:27.70 ISR 2nd NAC 1:35.51 3rd Sundays Well 1:37.13
*Denotes a foreign swimmer who receives a commemorative medal
National Team Exhibition Relays:
The Ireland Senior Men’s 4x100m freestyle record breakers – Photo Courtesy: Swim Ireland
Women 4x100m Freestyle Relay:
- Seniors: Mona McSharry, Danielle Hill, Victoria Catterson, Erin Riordan 3:41.09 ISR
- Juniors: Naomi Trait, Ele Donegan, Aisling Rowlands, Ellie McKibbin 3:48.21 IJR
Men 4x100m Freestyle Relay:
- Seniors: Shane Ryan, Jordan Sloan, Jack McMillan, Robbie Powell 3:10.19 ISR
- Juniors: Sean McNicholl, Eoin Corby, Oisin O’Rourke, Daniel Wiffen 3:22.02 IJR