After five days of competition, the 2023 Irish Youth and Senior National Championships came to a close this evening in the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre.
The first medal opportunity today was the 400 Medley Relay Sunday Wells’ Beth Nolan, Isabel Kidney, Sharon Semchiy and Ellen Lee were the first on the podium clocking a combined time of 4:29.92 to claim the women’s gold, New Ross went 4:35.43 in second, with bronze going to Aer Lingus. A Lisburn team of Daniel Edgar, Paul Cox, Dylan Registe, and Adam Colgan went 3:57.29 to claim gold, Larne clocked 4:00.69 in second with third place going to NAC (4:01.53).
There was a brief interlude this afternoon as the competition stood still to watch Daniel Wiffen’s 1500 Freestyle Final in Fukuoka, shortly after the final finished the action in Dublin resumed with the Women’s 800 Freestyle. Holly McInerney was the first home going 9:17.76 to take the 15 yrs gold back to Dublin South, there was another medal for New Ross as Ava Rock clocked 9:28.69 in second, with third place going to Eva Hand (9:35.90) of Bangor. Nessa Godden (Kilkenny) claimed her second consecutive gold, finishing in a time of 9:41.98 to take the 16 yrs national time, Katie Prunty (Slaney Sharks) was next to touch with 9:48.37 to claim silver with bronze going to Clare Doherty (9:52.88) of Sligo. Holly Robson (Lisburn) was awarded a commemorative medal with 9:48.17.
The 17 yrs national gold went to Trojan’s Rebekah Friel in a time of 9:19.92, the national silver went to Aimee Dawson (9:46.40) of Lisburn, bronze went to Lara King (9:47.40) of Swim Belfast. Jessika Robson (Lisburn) clocked 9:39.11 to claim a commemorative medal. National Centre (Limerick) swimmer, Ella Carroll was first home in the 18 yrs and over with a time of 9:16.69, Ruth Kelly of New Ross went 9:40.90 to take the national silver with bronze going to Hazel Bentley of Glenalbyn with 9:41.82. Eve Leleux (Swim Belfast) clocked 9:30.99 to take a commemorative medal home.
The Women’s 100 Backstroke opened tonight’s proceedings with the 15 yrs on the blocks for the final night of the competition. Shauna Murphy was the only swimmer to go under the 1 minute 10 second mark clocking 1:09.55 to claim gold. There was very little between first and fourth with Holly McInerney (Templeogue) touching next in 1:10.29, Mia Mulholland representing Banbridge was just 0.2 of a second behind in third (1:10.31). The 16 yrs gold was won by Maeve McClean (City of Derry) with 1:08.27, Antonina Sech (Sunday Wells) was in second with 1:08.83, third place was claimed by Katie Kelly (1:09.16) of Galway club, Shark.
Aoife Doran (Aer Lingus) and Leagh Bailey (New Ross) went stroke for stroke in the 17 yrs race, Doran would touch first (1:06.44) ahead of Bailey (1:06.77), Izzy McGrath (Sunday Wells) was next to touch with 1:08.04 to claim the bronze medal. Maria Godden (National Centre Limerick) rounded off a good week in the pool ahead of the U23 Europeans with a gold in the 18 yrs and over final, clocking 1:02.17. Jena Macdougald of UCD went 1:04.85 to win silver, third going to Cora Rooney (1:05.15) of Enniskillen.
Sticking with the backstroke, the Men’s 100 Backstroke was next up with the 15 yrs national gold going to Kilkenny man, Paddy Cuddihy in a time of 1:01.73, Kjell Laudon of Trojan was next to touch (1:05.51) while in third was Jonas Kazlauskas (1:05.98) of Aer Lingus.
Fionn Byrne (NAC) ensured the 16 yrs gold medal wasn’t going far as he touched the wall in 1:01.07 to win gold, Bluefin swimmer Mark Cormican finished closely behind with 1:01.61, while bronze went to Eoghan Rynn (1:01.82) of Trident. The 17 yrs gold was going to Wexford club New Ross as Emmett Cousins went quickest (1:00.24), Darragh Morgan (Coolmine) was next home in 1:01.84, bronze went to Luke Woolley (1:02.34) of Clonmel.
Adam Colgan (Lisburn) went under the minute mark to take the 18 yrs gold in 59.90, Charlie Cassidy of Dolphin went 59.94 in second, while Oisin Tebite (NAC) was next in with 1:00.22 to take bronze.
The 19 yrs and over served up a thriller as the first three home went under the minute mark, Matthew Walsh Hussey kept the gold medal in the NAC with 59.11, finishing off the week strongly ahead of the U23 Europeans in a fortnight. Next in was National Centre (Limerick) swimmer Neddie Irwin with 59.92 with Senan Noonan of Aer Lingus claiming bronze (59.96).
On the same day Ellen Walshe finished 16th in the World in the 400 IM, the Women’s 400 Medley was also on the agenda tonight in the NAC. The 15 yrs national gold went to Emilee Edgar of Lisburn with 5:25.29, Shauna Murphy (Dolphin) was next to touch with 5:30.60, third place going to Phoebe Lynott (Trident) in 5:37.38. Eva Bayley (New Ross) went quickest in the 16 yrs, stopping the clock at 5:15.93 to take the gold medal, second place and silver went to Clara Doherty of Sligo in 5:20.35, third place went to Trojan swimmer, Laura Csarodai-Burrows in 5:24.18.
Rebekah Friel (Trojan) returned to the blocks following her 800 Freestyle gold this afternoon to claim another, this time it was the 17 yrs gold with a time of 5:11.43. Megan Jones (Portmarnock) went 5:13.12 to bag silver while in third was Paige Austin-Burrows (Lurgan) with a time of 5:20.94. The 18 and over final was won by Lurgan swimmer Hannah McCabrey in excellent fashion, knocking just over ten seconds off her heat swim with 5:09.35. Hannah O’Shea went 5:14.24 to take the silver back to Dolphin with third place going to Toni Jamison (5:15.90) of Lisburn.
The Men’s 200 Medley was next on the schedule this evening with Ryan Griffin (Cookstown) first home in the 15 yrs with a time of 2:20.76, Cody Lau (Ballymena) went 2:22.10 to claim silver while third place was claimed by Matthew Rice (2:22.87) of Banbridge. Matthew Hamilton (Lisburn) won the 16 yrs gold in 2:15.92, Trident swimmer Eoghan Rynn went 2:16.61 in second and third place went to Limerick swimmer Daragh Horgan (2:17.15). Killian O’Loughlin of Coolmine was first to touch in the 17 yrs national gold with a time of 2:12.70, Benji Cummings of Ards went 2:18.00 to claim silver with bronze going to New Ross swimmer Emmett Cousins (2:18.59).,
National Centre (Limerick) swimmer Ronan Kilcoyne was first home to claim the 18 yrs gold with 2:09.18, Cormac Donnellan (Glenalbyn) was next to touch in 2:13.23 with bronze going to Cormac Rynn (2:13.97) of Trident. There was another National Centre (Limerick) swimmer on top of the podium, this time it was Jack Cassin who claimed the 19 and over gold with 2:04.09, silver medal went to Banbridge swimmer Adam Wilson (2:08.40) with bronze going to Longford man Gerry Quinn (2:08.89).
The Women’s 50 Butterfly gold went to Donegal woman Cora Rooney (Enniskillen) with a time of 28.10, Naoise Allen (Terenure) went 28.20 in second while third place and bronze went to UCD swimmer Jena Macdougald.
The Men’s 50 Butterfly brought the curtain down on the 2023 Irish Youth and Senior Summer National Championships. Calum Bain (National Centre Dublin) claimed another national gold with a time of 24.02, Dylan Registe (Lisburn) was next to touch in 24.92 while Barry Murphy representing Guinness Masters claimed his third medal of the competition with 25.22.
