Ellie McCartney, Ellen Walshe, Matthew Hamilton and Danielle Hill all impressed during this morning’s heats at the Irish Open Championships and Commonwealth Games Trials in Bangor, with strong swims across the Individual Medley and sprint Freestyle events setting up an exciting afternoon of finals action.
McCartney booked her place at the head of the field for the 200m Individual Medley Final, posting 2:15.69 to secure further consideration times for the European Aquatics Championships and Commonwealth Games. Ellen Walshe claimed the final heat in 2:18.60 and will bid for a fifth national title this week following victories in the 100m and 200m Butterfly, 400m Freestyle and 400m Individual Medley.
In the Open 50m Freestyle Heats, Lisburn City’s Matthew Hamilton set a new Irish Junior Record of 22.57 to progress to the final as the fastest qualifier. Hamilton broke his own record of 22.78 from the 2025 Irish Open. Already under the consideration standard for the European Aquatics Championships in the 100m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly this week, the 18-year-old secured another qualifying time in this morning’s heats. Bangor’s James Ward (22.84) and Lisburn’s Dylan Registe (22.98) were the only other swimmers to dip under 23 seconds.
Danielle Hill topped the qualifiers for the Female 50m Freestyle Final. The Larne swimmer led a strong group under the 26?second mark, alongside National Centre Ulster’s Rosalie Phelan, Ards’ Grace Davison and Stirling’s Paige Van Der Westhuizen. Hill won the final heat in 25.45, with Phelan taking heat two in 25.67 and Davison claiming heat three in 25.92. Van Der Westhuizen finished second in Hill’s heat, touching in 25.99.
Bangor’s Jacob Armon was the fastest qualifier out of the heats for the Open 200m Individual Medley Final. Armon clocked 2:04.39 ahead of National Centre Limerick’s Jack Cassin in 2:04.96. Loughborough’s Harrison Homans (2:05.22) and Blackrock’s Phelim Hanley (2:08.28) rounded out the top four.
This morning saw the slower heats of the Female 1500m Freestyle and Open 800m Freestyle run. Templeogue’s Caoimhe Smyth was the only swimmer under nineteen minutes in the 1500m in 18:57.52, followed closely by Limerick’s Sorcha NiRiain in 19:02.89 and Bangor’s Cadey Moore in 19:04.15. In the 800m Freestyle, Limerick’s Dylan McGrath led the charge in 8:48.72 followed by Templeogue’s Dylan Ryan (8:52.40) and ESB’s Tom Kilroy (8:56.10)
This afternoon’s fast heats of the events will see Olympic Champion Daniel Wiffen aim to add the 800m Freestyle title to the 400m and 1500m crowns he has already claimed this week, while Clare Custer will look to defend the 1500m Freestyle title she won in 2025.