Ellen Walshe, Evan Bailey, and John Shortt got the 2025 Irish Open Swimming Championships underway in Dublin on Saturday morning with records falling on four occasions including three Championship and an Irish Junior record, while eight swimmers secured consideration times for international events this Summer.
Walshe, competing in the 200m Individual Medley and 200m Butterfly, clocked Championship Records in both events of 2:11.14 and 2:08.66. The Paris Finalists time in the 200m IM solidified her qualification for the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in July and was just outside her Irish record of 2:10.92. In the 200m Butterfly, Walshe clocked another new Championship Record and a World Aquatics A time, her second fastest time ever in the event, having set the current Irish Record of 2:08.42 just last month. The Templeogue swimmer is currently ranked seventh in the world in both events.
Evan Bailey was impressive in the 200m Freestyle, topping the rankings in a personal best and new Championship Record of 1:47.08. The National Centre Limerick swimmer, who was just half a second outside the Irish record, secured consideration times for the World University Games and European Aquatics U23 Championships. Second ranked Cormac Rynn touched in 1:49.36, a consideration time for the European Aquatics U23 Championships.
In the 100m Backstroke heats, John Shortt set a new Irish Junior Record of 54.25, knocking .13 off Conor Ferguson’s 2018 time of 54.38. With the time, the 2024 European Junior Champion secures consideration for the European Aquatics Junior Championships. The 18-year-old will be the top seed for this evening’s semi-finals.
There were further consideration times for international events in the 200m Individual Medley, with Paris Olympian and 2024 European Junior bronze medallist Grace Davison inside the 2025 European Juniors time in 2:17.30, while National Centre Limerick’s Ellie McCartney secured consideration for both the World University Games and European Aquatics U23 Championships in 2:15.10.
Nathan Wiffen will be the top seed for Sunday evening’s 800m Final having won the first heat in 8:02.00 ahead of Daragh Horgan (8:24.38). Olympic Champion Daniel Wiffen won the second heat in 8:29.46.
In the 1500m Freestyle Heats Sunday’s Wells’ Clare Custer topped the rankings and secured the centre lane for Sunday’s Final in 17:16.39, also securing a consideration for the European Aquatics Junior Championships.
Paris Olympian Danielle Hill is the top seed in the female 100m Backstroke having clocked 1:01.57 ahead of Maria Godden (1:02.62) and Lottie Cullen (1:02.88). Cullen, of National Centre Ulster, secured her consideration for the European Aquatics U23 Championships.
Saturday evening will see female and open multi-class (para) Finals and female and open semi-finals in the 100m Backstroke, female 200m Individual Semi-Finals, Male 200m Freestyle Semi-Finals and Female 200m Butterfly Semi-Finals.