Mona McSharry (Breaststroke), Jack Kelly (Breaststroke) and John Shortt (Backstroke) remain on course for a clean sweep of titles, while Ellen Walshe targets a fourth gold following the day four heats of the Irish Open Swimming Championships and Commonwealth Games Trials in Bangor.
McSharry, who set a new Irish and Championship Record of 2:22.22 in Friday’s 200m Breaststroke, continued her strong form in the 100m Breaststroke heats, clocking 1:06.33. The swim ranks her as the fourth?fastest performer in the world this year and was comfortably inside the European Aquatics Championships consideration standard. Ellie McCartney won the penultimate heat in 1:08.80 to progress second overall, while University of Limerick’s Eimear Doyle topped heat three in 1:10.81.
Terenure’s Jack Kelly also kept his bid for a breaststroke triple on track as he was the only swimmer to dip under the one?minute mark in the 100m Breaststroke. Kelly, already 50m and 200m Breaststroke national champion this week, matched Darragh Greene’s 2024 Championship Record of 59.91 to win his heat and comfortably better the European Championships consideration time of 1:00.65. Greene (Longford) posted the second?fastest time after winning heat three in 1:01.17, while Bangor’s Adam Bradley claimed heat four and progressed third fastest in 1:01.60, also inside the U20 European Championships consideration standard.
John Shortt leads the qualifiers in the Open 200m Backstroke. The 2025 World Junior and European (SC) Champion, who set a new Irish Record of 1:56.07 in the event at the Giant Open in Paris three weeks ago, cruised to the top spot in 2:00.63. The 19-year-old has now achieved consideration times for all three Backstroke events for the European Championships. Shortt’s National Centre Limerick team-mates Emmet Cousins (2:03.54) and Neddie Irwin (2:05.71) won their heats to progress in second and third.
Grace Davison, already crowned 100m and 200m Freestyle champion this week, will head into this evening’s 200m Backstroke Final as top seed. The 18?year?old clocked 2:14.88 to lead the qualifiers, a swim that also dipped under the European Championships consideration time (U20). Davison now holds qualifying times for the European Championships in the 100m and 200m Freestyle as well as the 100m and 200m Backstroke.
National Centre Ulster’s Lottie Cullen (2:16.97) and Trojan’s Ashling McCarthy (2:18.32), who finished first and second in the opening heat, completed the top three qualifiers.
Paris Olympian Victoria Catterson posted the fastest time of the morning as she won heat two of the Female 400m Freestyle. The National Centre Ulster swimmer clocked 4:22.37 to take top seed ahead of Sundays Wells Clare Custer (4:23.34), winner of the 800m Freestyle, and Templeogue’s Ellen Walshe (4:23.72). Already a silver medallist in the 200m Freestyle and bronze medallist in the 100m Freestyle, Catterson will be chasing her first national title of the week. Walshe, meanwhile, will be aiming for a fourth gold, having already claimed national titles in the 100m and 200m Butterfly and the 400m Individual Medley.
Daniel Wiffen and Nathan Wiffen won their heats of the 400m Freestyle and will be the top seeds for the final later today. Daniel was under the consideration time for the European Championships and Commonwealth Games as he clocked 3:50.62. Nathan won his heat in 3:53.93. Second to Daniel in the final heat and third overall in 3:56.70, National Centre Limerick’s Denis O’Brien secured a consideration time (U20) for the European Championships.