Team NI had a busy morning session with five individual swims and a mixed medley relay, setting the stage for a stacked finals night ahead.
Ellie McCartney opened the session in the 200m Individual Medley, clocking 2:13.41 against an entry time of 2:12.50. The swim places her 9th overall and first reserve for tonight’s final, putting her firmly in contention should a spot become available. Matthew Hamilton followed in the 50m Butterfly, carrying strong momentum after breaking the Ulster Senior Record and Irish Junior Record in the 100m Butterfly earlier during the Games. Swimming in the final heat, he touched in 24.25, dipping 0.2 seconds under his entry time to qualify 16th for tonight’s semi-final.
The Women’s 50m Freestyle saw both Emily Hughes and Grace Davison in action, with Danielle Hill sitting the event out this morning to keep her focus on tonight’s 50m Backstroke final. Hughes finished narrowly outside her entry time, touching in 26.50 against a seed of 26.28. Davison also swam outside her entry time with a 25.70, but the swim was enough to secure her a place in tonight’s final in 14th, where she’ll look to dip under her entry mark of 25.49.
In the 100m Backstroke, Paddy Johnston produced the standout swim of the morning for the team, going faster than his entry time of 55.48 to clock 55.42 and qualify 11th into the semi-finals.
Rounding out the session, the Team NI quartet of Lottie Cullen, Adam Bradley, Matthew Hamilton and Emily Hughes took to the pool in the 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay, racing alongside Australia and England in their heat. The team finished third in the heat and 6th overall, booking their spot in tonight’s final. Action resumes this evening as the team’s finalists return to the pool, headlined by Danielle Hill’s bid in the 50m Backstroke final.