It was a night to remember in Paris as Ellen Walshe and Mona McSharry delivered career-best performances to return Ireland to the podium at the European Aquatics Championships. Walshe secured a stunning gold medal in the 400m Individual Medley, while McSharry added European silver in the 100m Breaststroke, as Irish swimmers enjoyed one of their most successful nights on the continental stage.
Walshe is now a European long course champion after claiming gold in a thrilling 400m Individual Medley Final. The Templeogue swimmer, who won European short course gold in the 200m Butterfly last December, produced a new Irish Record of 4:34.42, taking almost a second off the previous mark of 4:35.32, set in May 2025.
It was a controlled race from the 23-year-old, who moved from sixth after the butterfly leg to third following backstroke and second after breaststroke. A blistering final 50 metres of freestyle in 30.80 saw her overhaul Commonwealth Games champion Amelie Smith of Great Britain, who came home in 31.76, to secure the gold medal. Smith took silver in 4:35.12, while Poland’s Justina Kozan claimed bronze in 4:36.47.
A delighted Walshe spoke after the medal ceremony “It hasn’t really hit, it’s been probably a bit of a runaround to the medal, it was very quick turnaround, I can’t really think about it right now, I’m still really hurting from the race my calf’s are cramping, hopefully when I swim down, I can enjoy the moment for myself.
“I think the nice thing about the four IM is everyone races their own race and everyone has strengths and weaknesses in the event, there’s always that kind of side of it that I should get out a little bit quicker, but it might hurt the back end but was delighted to stick to my own plan today and it worked out in the end.”
With two medals going back to her room following Wednesday’s racing, she added “I think it’s nice that it’s over as well, to be honest, me and Mona were chatting, we were like, we can’t wait to get into bed tonight, read our books, and just chill out, but, you know, we had work to do tonight and we both performed and we can go back with smiles on our faces tonight.”
“We do like to relax, and I think that’s it’s nice to keep it kind of calm and like a familiar place when we get back, but I know she’s got 200 Breaststroke in the morning, so there can’t be too much excitement between the two of us. But yeah, absolutely delighted to come away with the medal.” Walshe returns to action on Friday in the 200m Individual Medley.
Olympic bronze medallist Mona McSharry was also back on the podium in Paris, this time claiming European silver in the 100m Breaststroke. The Sligo swimmer bettered her Olympic medal-winning performance from Paris 2024, posting a new Irish Record of 1:05.41, eclipsing her previous best of 1:05.51. McSharry split 30.66 and 34.75 across the two lengths.
Great Britain’s Angharad Evans took gold in a Championship Record of 1:04.87, with Italy’s Benedetta Pilato claiming bronze in 1:05.89.
McSharry said afterwards “It’s still not set in, it might take me until I get up onto the podium to kind of really be like, okay, this happened. I think I was just so focussed on putting together a good race, which I did, you can’t be happier than with a PB.”
“I was definitely nervous going into it. But I was really happy with yesterday’s race, and I think the goal was maybe first 25m the same, kind of build a little bit more into the wall, and then try and focus on really racing the second 50m. When I turned, I could see Pilato right there beside me, and she was a bit ahead, so I was like, right, I gotta go here, I don’t know what’s happening behind me, so I was just pushing and yeah, really happy with that.” McSharry returns to the pool on Thursday morning for the heats of the 200m Breaststroke.
Daniel Wiffen came agonisingly close to another major championship medal, finishing fourth in a high-quality 800m Freestyle Final. Germany’s Johannes Liebmann won gold in a new European and Championship Record of 7:37.59. The Olympic champion touched in a season’s best 7:43.30, less than a second and a half outside the medals.
Wiffen said “I’m really happy with that, I think they described it as a disappointment before, but for me, I actually really happy with it. To see the progression that I’ve done in 13 weeks from being at my like lowest point, to then come back to Dublin, having to retrain the whole of the year in 13 weeks was really hard. So, to come back, another season’s best, just outside of the medals, I’m happy with how I put it together.” Wiffen returns on Friday in the 1500m Freestyle.
In the 200m Backstroke Final, 19-year-old John Shortt finished seventh in 1:55.86, his third-fastest time ever. The National Centre Limerick swimmer produced a brave performance in a stacked field led by Olympic champion Hubert Kós of Hungary, who won in 1:53.08.
Shortt reflected “I really went for it, I knew it had to be out quick tonight, I had to be in the fight with these boys early, they’re so, so good off that start. I honestly, absolutely went for it, and unfortunately, it just wasn’t my night.”
“It’s not going to take away from what has been the best season of my life by a million miles. And, you know, the positives here is that, you know, I went after a different race strategy, paid the price for that, but that’s all a part of the learning and that’s still under the time that I need to go for LA, so there’s loads of positives to be to be considered there and seventh in Europe is not too bad either.” Shortt returns to action on Thursday morning in the 50m Backstroke.
There was further success for Ireland in the men’s 200m Breaststroke, where Jack Kelly advanced to his second final of the week. The 23-year-old broke Darragh Greene’s Irish Record of 2:10.05 with a superb 2:09.23, finishing fourth in his semi-final and progressing fifth overall. Kelly now holds all three Irish senior breaststroke records.
Kelly said “That was a really fun semifinal, he (Eoin Corby) was really fast, and it kind of pushed me to be the time that I saw on the board. I couldn’t really ask for a better swim.”
“Oh, it’s sweet, it’s definitely a team sport, so for me and him to be repping Ireland in the semifinal was a really cool thing.”
The final takes place on Thursday at 6.29pm (Irish time).
In the same event, National Centre Limerick swimmer Eoin Corby clocked a lifetime best of 2:10.27 to place sixth in his semi-final and 11th overall. The swim improved on his previous best of 2:10.50 from 2021.
Corby said “I’m delighted, it’s a crazy stacked field, so you just kind of have to get in and race the lads, I went out way quicker than I normally do. I put myself in the race and yeah, I’m glad, I’m really happy with the result. It’s obviously great to have people like Jack and Darragh and all these lads to race against as well, because depth and Irish breaststroke is really coming along, it’s class. I’m delighted and hopefully we can keep pushing each other on.”
Danielle Hill also booked her place in Thursday’s finals session. The reigning European champion progressed eighth overall in the 50m Backstroke after posting a season’s best 27.85. Italy’s Sara Curtis set a new World Record of 26.63 in the semi-finals to lead the field into Thursday evening’s final. Hill said “I am so happy, I knew there was a swim in there that could make the final, it was about getting my hand on the wall and, I obviously in Commonwealth Games was fourth (50m Backstroke) and ninth (100m Backstroke), so to be in that eighth and sneak in on the right side of it, it means a lot. So yeah, I’m really happy, it was an amazing race.” The 50m Backstroke Final is scheduled for 5.36pm (Irish time) on Thursday.
Also in action on Thursday are Evan Bailey, Denis O’Brien, Cormac Rynn and Liam Custer in the 200m Freestyle. Alana Burns-Atkin will contest the 100m Butterfly, while 100m Breaststroke semi-finalist and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Ellie McCartney joins McSharry in the heats of the 200m Breaststroke.