Swim Ireland’s Irish Open Swimming Championships and Commonwealth Games Trials got underway at the Bangor Aurora Leisure Complex on Wednesday morning with Grace Davison lighting up the pool with a new Irish Senior and Championship Record.
Davison, a Paris Olympian and 2025 European junior medallist, broke her own 2025 Irish Record of 54.80, and Danielle Hill’s 2022 Championship Record of 54.87 clocking 54.45. The time was also a qualification for both the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July and European Aquatics Championships in Paris in August.
The Ards swimmer is the top qualifier for this evening’s 100m Freestyle Final, ahead of National Centre Ulster’s Rosalie Phelan (55.88) and Victoria Catterson (56.58).
Paralympian Dearbhaile Brady, already qualified for the European Para Swimming Championships in September, was under the qualification time once again in the 100m Freestyle clocking 1:19.11.
National Centre Limerick’s Evan Bailey also secured a qualification time for the European Aquatics Championships as he topped the rankings in the Men’s 100m Freestyle. Bailey swam a personal best time of 48.98 knocking .17 of a second off his previous best of 49.15 from the 2025 Irish Open.
Lisburn City’s Matthew Hamilton was the only other swimmer under the fifty second mark in the heats in 49.71, an U20 qualification time for the European Aquatics Championships.
Jack Cassin and Ellen Walshe led the qualifiers in the Men’s and Women’s 200m Butterfly Heats. Both Cassin and Walshe had secured initial qualification times for the European Aquatics Championships at last summer’s World Championships, while Cassin verified his qualification in 1:59.07, Walshe clocked 2:15.05 and will need to be under 2:13.77 in this evening’s final.
Daniel and Nathan Wiffen will kick off the first finals session of the week in the 1500m Freestyle Final, followed by the female 800m Final, male and female 100m Freestyle Finals and male and female 200m Butterfly Finals.