John Shortt Lowers Irish 200 Back Record With First Trip Inside 1:58 In Dublin
John Shortt lowered his Irish 200m backstroke record to 1:57.90 on day three of the Irish Open Championships and Olympic Trials in Dublin.
The 17-year-old took over half a second off his own previous mark of 1:58.47 set in the semi-final at the World Championships in Doha earlier this year.
Shortt’s time was 0.40secs off the Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) of 1:57.50 with the National Centre Limerick swimmer having another opportunity to make the Paris cut in Saturday’s Super Final.
The five-day event at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre is the final chance for swimmers to book a ticket for Paris as well as spots on the teams for next month’s European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, and December’s World Short-Course Championships in Budapest.
The meet comprises prelims, A finals and the Super Finals.
Daniel Wiffen, Mona McSharry, Ellen Walshe, Danielle Hill and Tom Fannon have all made the Paris cut so far.
Cormac Rynn claimed gold in the 400m freestyle Super Final to secure his first national title in a new Irish Junior record of 3:54.06.
Rynn’s first venture below the four-minute mark came in the Friday morning heats where he touched in 3:57.79.
A first Irish record for the Roscommon man, his time was also under the consideration time for the European Championships.
It was a clean sweep of the podium for National Centre Limerick swimmers with Finn McGeever second in 4:00.39 and Denis O’Brien third in 4:06.48.
Daniel Wiffen was second in prelims in 3:59.81 but didn’t appear for the final.
Calum Bain held off teammate and Olympic qualifier Tom Fannon in the 50m freestyle Super Final to take the national title.
Bain swam a lifetime best of 22.06 seconds, just one tenth of a second off the Olympic Qualification Time of 21.96, ahead of Fannon (22.07) and Oisin Tebite (22.79).
Grace Davison and Victoria Catterson battled for top spot in the women’s 100m freestyle final with 16-year-old Davison, who set two Irish Junior records in the event earlier in the week, getting to the wall first in 55.56.
National Centre Dublin’s Catterson just behind stopped the clock at 55.72 with Erin Riordan third in 56.71.
In the 100m butterfly Super Final, Max McCusker swam his second fastest time ever touching in 51.96, just outside his Irish record of 51.90 from Thursday’s heats.
McCusker claimed gold in a European Championships consideration time ahead of National Centre Limerick’s Jack Cassin (54.17) and Brogan McAviney (54.96).
Amelia Kane cruised to victory in the 400m free in 4:21.93 ahead of Sarasota Shark’s Grace Hodgins (4:28.91) and Templeogue’s Holly McInerney (4:30.81)
Darragh Greene won the 100m breaststroke Super Final to claim the national title for the first time since 2019.
The National Centre Dublin swimmer held off ESB’s Jack Kelly (1:00.95) and his NCD teammate Eoin Corby (1:01.09) for gold in 1:00.54; all three have achieved the European Aquatics Championships consideration time.
In the women’s 100m breaststroke Super Final National Centre Dublin’s Niamh Coyne led throughout for victory and the national title in 1:09.52.
National Centre Limerick’s Eimear Doyle won silver in 1:10.28 with bronze going to Limerick’s Olwyn Cooke (1:10.69).
Ellen Walshe dominated the 100m butterfly A final, touching the wall in 58.43 for the fourth fastest time of her career.
Walshe returns on Saturday for the Super Final with her eye on the Olympic Qualification Time of 57.92.
Maria Godden topped the rankings in the women’s 200m Backstroke A final in 2:14.94.
Lachey Reed topped the men’s 200IM in 2:08.14 to advance to the Super Final as fastest seed.