Ten Days & 41 Records Down: Irish Swimmers Continue To Rewrite The Script

Into the second straight week of all-out assault on the Irish swimming record books, with 20 standards downed last week and  11 yesterday, day two of the Irish National Short Course Championships did not disappoint.

There were 10 more marks today for a count of 41 new high bars in 10 days at two events, with two days of racing remaining at nationals, as Irish swimmers continue to rewrite the script at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre in Dublin.

Members of the Irish team at the European Short-Course Championships in Glasgow last week, Danielle Hill, Shane Ryan, Eoin Corby and Paddy Johnston added to the record-breaking today alongside Ellen Walshe, Naomi Trait and three relays.

Hill, national records over 50m free, 50 and 100m back in the bag in the past 10 days, added the 100m freestyle to a tally now grown to eight new standards in the last two weeks. The Larne swimmer stopped the clock at 53.81 for 100m gold, taking down Mona McSharry’s 2018 record of 54.34. For third place, Kilkenny’s Naomi Trait set an Irish Junior Record in 55.13.

Shane Ryan, European bronze medallist over 50m backstroke last week, added to the freestyle and backstroke records he set in Glasgow and yesterday in Dublin when he became the first Irishman to race inside 23sec over 50m butterfly.

Ryan’s 22.96 triumph broke Barry Murphy’s 2013 standard of 23.28, while Paddy Johnston claimed his second Irish Junior Record in as many days for silver in 24.02.

Ellen Walshe – Photo Courtesy: Swim Ireland

Templeogue’s Ellen Walshe set the national 50m ‘fly mark at 26.65 last month. Tonight: 26.10 for her first gold of the session. Her second was delivered well down the distance spectrum, on 4:38.38 over 400m medley.

Darragh Greene, on 58.13, and Eoin Corby led the 100m breaststroke on lifetime bests, Corby’s an Irish Junior record of 58.38.

Ireland Exhibition Relay

Team building for a crack at delivering Irish rekey to Olympic waters next year for the first time since 1972 is part of Ireland’s performance plan for lifting the nation’s swimming game. It’s working.

In the 4x200m freestyle, Sean McNicholl, Eoin Corby, Jack Fleming and Daniel Wiffen took both the Irish Senior (7:27.78) and Junior (7:36.83) records in 7:23.87.

In the women’s equivalent, Victoria Catterson, Mona McSharry, Maria Godden and Rachel Bethel shattered the 1991 Irish senior record of 8:25.94 in 8:07.86 while Naomi Trait, Julia Knox, Ele Donegan and Amelia Kane clocked a new junior standard, in 8:14.78.

In this mornings’ club relays, the Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Relay, Bangor topped the podium in 1:38.68, with Ards in second in 1:39.12 and Aer Lingus bronze in 1:40.48.

Day 2 Podiums in Full:

Women 800m Freestyle: 1^st Amelia Kane Ards 8:51.46 2^nd Grace Hodgins Trojan 8:59.00 3^rd Martine Hallberg SNDN 9:00.11* / Jessica Gannon National Centre Limerick 9:06.59

Men 100m Freestyle: 1^st Jack Grace National Centre Limerick 49.28 2^nd Finn McGeever National Centre Limerick 49.58 3^rd Curtis Coulter Bangor 49.61

Women 100m Freestyle: 1^st Danielle Hill Larne 53.81 ISR 2^nd Niamh Kilgallen National Centre Dublin 55.13 3^rd Naomi Trait Kilkenny 55.73 IJR

Men 100m Breaststroke: 1^st Darragh Greene National Centre Dublin 58.13 2^nd Eoin Corby National Centre Limerick 58.38 IJR 3^rd Liam Doyle National Centre Limerick 1:00.03

Women 100m Breaststroke: 1^st Mona McSharry Marlins 1:05.72 2^ndNiamh Coyne National Centre Dublin 1:05.94 3^rd Tina Tang Shanghai 1:07.04* / Aisling Haughey Aer Lingus 1:07.77

Men 400m IM: 1^st Cadan McCarthy National Centre Limerick 4:18.25 2^nd Liam Custer Sundays Well 4:21.89 3^rd Richard Nolan Waterford 4:22.81

Women 50m Butterfly: 1^st Ellen Walshe Templeogue 26.10 ISR 2^nd

Men 50m Butterfly: 1^st Shane Ryan National Centre Dublin 22.96 ISR 2^nd Paddy Johnston Ards 24.02 IJR 3^rd Cillian Colvin NAC 24.65

Women 400m IM: 1^st Ellen Walshe Templeogue 4:38.38 2^nd Eline Vik SNDN 4:52.08* / Lara McEvoy Portmarnock 5:01.53 3^rd Hannah O’Shea Dolphin5:03.38

Mixed 200m Freestyle Relay: 1^st Bangor 1:38.68 2^nd Ards 1:39.12 3^rdAer Lingus 1:40.48.

*Denotes a foreign swimmer who receives a commemorative medal

National Team Exhibition Relays:

Women 4x200m Freestyle Relay:

• Victoria Catterson Mona McSharry, Maria Godden, Rachel Bethel 8:07.86 ISR
• Naomi Trait, Julia Knox, Ele Donegan, Amelia Kane 8:14.78 IJR

Men 4x200m Freestyle Relay:

• Sean McNicholl, Eoin Corby, Jack Fleming, Daniel Wiffen 7:23.87 ISR/IJR