Sligo’s Mona McSharry set three new national records after an incredible weekend at the Irish Open Championships.
The Grange youngster, from the Marlins Club in Ballyshannon, posted new record times in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke.
In winning all three events at the weekend, the 16-year-old also set times to put her into consideration for the Irish teams for the World Senior Championships, World Junior Championships and European Junior Championships in the summer.
REPORT
Swim Ireland’s Irish Open Swimming Championships came to a conclusion tonight with James Brown, Conor Ferguson and Mona McSharry bringing the Irish Record tally to 10 senior and 7 Junior Records. Senior records this weekend from Brown, Jordan Sloan (100m, 200m Freestyle), Brendan Hyland (100m, 200m Butterfly), Ferguson (200m Backstroke x2) and three relay records from Bangor Swimming Club as well as junior records from Ferguson (200m Backstroke x 2, 50m Backstroke), McSharry (50m, 100m, 200m Breaststroke) and a Kilkenny relay showcased just some of the huge depth of talent currently in Irish swimming.
Conor Ferguson had the NAC crowd on their feet as he stormed to a new Irish Junior Record in the 50m Backstroke in 25.24 seconds, more importantly his time was under the consideration standard for the World Swimming Championships in Budapest this summer. Ferguson, along with Jordan Sloan (200m Freestyle) and Mona McSharry (100m Breaststroke) have all gone under those consideration times this weekend and with Rio Olympians Shane Ryan and Fiona Doyle still to swim at selected meets, Ireland could potentially have our biggest Worlds team in a number of years in 2017.
Ards’ James Brown got in on the record breaking party in tonight’s first event as he swam a new mark in the 200m Individual Medley. The 20 year old broke Johnny Quinn’s (2:04.25) 2012 record by over a second finishing in 2:02.90, his first Irish Senior Record.
Mona McSharry swept the women’s breaststroke events adding 200m gold to her 50m and 100m titles from earlier this week. McSharry broke her own Irish Junior Record (2:29.98) tonight in 2 minutes 29.22 seconds. The 16 year old now holds all three junior breaststroke records.
Lisburn’s Rachel Bethel swam to her fourth Irish title of the weekend in the 1500m Freestyle. The 17 year old had won the 200m, 400m and 800m Freestyle events and cruised to victory in tonight’s 1500m event in 17:21.13. Bethel’s younger sister Leah joined her on the podium for silver in 17:54.19. In the men’s 800m Freestyle Final Aer Lingus’ Nathan Turner and Finn McGeever battled throughout with just eight hundredths of a second separating them in the end. It was Turner who eventually took gold in 8:30.03 with McGeever clocking 8:30.89.
Danielle Hill of Larne doubled up on her national titles bringing her tally to four with wins in the 50m Freestyle (26.18) and 50m Backstroke (28.83) tonight. Hill had already won the 100m Freestyle and 100m Backstroke titles. Lurgan’s Shannon Russell added to her 400m Individual Medley title with a win in the 200m event in 2:19.69. The 15 year has hit consideration times for the European Youth Olympics in seven different events this weekend.
Rio 2016 Olympian Nicholas Quinn added to his 100m Breaststroke title with a win in the 200m event. The Castlebar swimmer who trains at Edinburgh University touched in 2:14.07 ahead of his visiting team mate Daniel Lim in 2:18.02. Stirling’s Calum Bain topped the podium in the men’s 50m Freestyle in 22.78 seconds just ahead of Ards’ Curtis Coulter in 23.07.
Ireland’s total number of athletes under consideration for World Championships, World University Games, World Junior Championships, European Junior Championships and the European Youth Olympics now stands at 38.
Swim Ireland’s new National Performance Director Jon Rudd was impressed by this weekend’s swimming commenting “This has been a wonderful four days for Swim Ireland, particularly for the athletes and their coaches. The standard of swimming across the board has exceeded all expectations and we have a number of world class athletes within our midst. I sense already something of a culture shift; fast heats, faster finals, a sense of urgency and focus on deck. We’re gaining momentum in such a short space of time and once you get something moving in such a positive fashion, you can only go from strength to strength”
Full Results Day 4
Women 200m IM Final: 1st S Russell Lurgan 2:19.69 2nd R Reid Ards 2:21.24 3rd E Walshe Templeogue 2:22.67
Men 200m IM Final: 1st J Brown Ards 2:02.90 ISR 2nd B Griffin Trojan 2:05.69 3rd A Corby Limerick 2:08.44
Women 1500m Freestyle Final: 1st R Bethel Lisburn 17:21.13 2nd L Bethel Lisburn 17:54.19 3rd J Gannon Comans 17:55.88
Men 50m Freestyle Final: 1st C Bain Stirling 22.78 2nd C Coulter Ards 23.07 3rd G Watson Edinburgh 23.38
Women 50m Freestyle Final: 1st D Hill Larne 26.18 2nd E Cummins Stirling 26.68 3rd B Firth Ards 26.79
Men 800m Freestyle Final: 1st N Turner Aer Lingus 8:30.03 2nd F McGeever Limerick 8:30.89 3rd D Wiffen Lisburn 8:35.56
Women 200m Breaststroke Final: 1st M McSharry 2:29.22 IJR 2nd A Blanchetiere En Caen 2:35.15 3rd A Haughey Aer Lingus 2:35.92
Men 200m Breaststroke Final: 1st N Quinn Castlebar 2:14.07 2nd D Lim Edinburgh 2:18.02 3rd D Sweeney Sundays Well 2:18.64
Women 50m Backstroke Final: 1st D Hill Larne 28.83 2nd L Mills Stirling 29.87 3rd K Kavanagh UCD 29.89
Men 50m Backstroke Final: 1st C Ferguson Bangor 25.24 IJR 2nd D Prendergast UCD 26.69 3rd L Dulondel Viking Rouen 27.03
Consideration Times Met (selection of athletes for all events will be made at a later date)
European Junior Swimming Championships, 28th June – 2nd July 2017, Herzliya, Israel
Mona McSharry (100 Breast, 100Free, 200 Breast, 50 Free, 200IM), Ellen Walshe (200Fly, 400IM, 100Fly), Niamh Coyne (100Breast, 200Breast), Rebecca Reid (400 IM, 200IM), Jack McMillan (200Free), Conor Ferguson (100Back, 200Back), Robbie Powell (200Free), Rachel Bethel (200Free, 400Free),
FINA World Diving, Swimming & Open Water Championships, 15th – 30thJuly, Budapest, Hungary
Jordan Sloan (200Free), Mona McSharry (100Breast), Conor Ferguson (50Back)
IOC European Youth Olympic Festival, 22nd – 30th July, Gyor, Hungary
Maria Godden (100 Free, 200 Free, 100 Back, 200 Back), Amelia Kane (200 Fly, 400IM), Caoimhe Quinn (200 Fly, 200 Back), Julia Knox (400 IM, 200IM) Mia Davison (100 Breast), Robyn Lynch (200 Fly), Ethan Murtagh (200 Fly), Rebecca Lowe (100 Back, 200 Back), Sean Scannell (200 Back), Scarlett Armstrong (200 Back), Cara Osing (400 Free, 100Free, 200Free), Naomi Trait (200Free), Sean McNicholl (100Back, 100Free, 100Fly), Daniel Wiffen (1500Free), Ellie McKibbin (200Fly), Shannon Russell (200Fly, 200Free, 100Breast, 400IM, 400Free, 200IM, 200Breast), Isabelle Gibbs (100Back), Eoin Corby (100Breast)
World University Games, 20th – 27th August, Taipei, Chinese Taipei
Rory McEvoy (50 Back), Conor Brines (50 Fly), Darragh Greene (50Breast), Jordan Sloan (200Free, 100Free), Brendan Hyland (200Fly)
World Junior Swimming Championships, 23rd – 28th August, Indianapolis, USA
Mona McSharry (100 Breast, 200 Breast), Ellen Walshe (200Fly), Niamh Coyne (100Breast), Conor Ferguson (50Back, 100Back), Jack McMillan (200Free)
