Ireland have been invited by FINA to send two relays - the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay and Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay - to the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer.
It was Ireland’s goal at the LEN
European Aquatics Championships in Budapest last month to qualify at least one
relay team for Tokyo 2021, and every relay team that competed at that
Championships broke the associated Irish Senior Record to help vindicate
Ireland's explicit relay focus for that particular meet.
The Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay set
two new Irish Senior Records en route to their invite, finishing with 7:12.00,
and the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay set a new standard of 3:34.62 in the Budapest
heats, with both times proving to be historic in earning Ireland their first
Olympic relay invites since 1972.
The news also means that Ireland has
earned a male Olympic relay spot for the first time.
Swim Ireland’s National Performance
Director Jon Rudd said: “This is a truly a historic moment for Irish swimming
and for us all to be part of that, and for the Irish swimming community to have
something huge to celebrate after such challenging times of late for our sport
is so inspiring and uplifting.
“The athletes have done a remarkable
job here in not getting one but two relays over the line, something we haven't
achieved for 49 years. The coaches and practitioners who work day in, day out,
with these athletes must also receive our praise and our thanks. Now we prepare
to do our nation proud in Tokyo - and give everyone a summer of excitement to
look forward to.”
National Record-holder Brendan
Hyland, who swam the butterfly leg on the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay, said: “I
am honoured to achieve this for Ireland. Jon Rudd and Ben Higson have done a
great job of bringing Irish swimming on, because I never thought of relays at
the Olympics before this.
“These two relays going to Tokyo
shows the sum of the collective effort. Five of the seven lads don’t have
individual times yet, but as a relay they have come together to achieve this.”
Bangor’s Jordan Sloan is part of 14
Irish Senior Record-holding relay teams, including the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle
Relay.
He said: “We knew we put ourselves in
the best place possible at the European Championships. After last week I
thought it was done, so it’s just a massive relief to finally have it
confirmed.
“In relays, everyone pulls together.
It’s just so different to competing individually. You’re representing Ireland
and each other.”
Seven swimmers helped earn the times
above, notably training under three different coaches at three different
centres in Ireland.
On the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay,
Shane Ryan, Darragh Greene and Brendan Hyland train at the National Centre
(Dublin) under Swim Ireland’s National Senior Team Head Coach Ben Higson.
Jack McMillan, who swam on both
relays at the European Championships, trains with Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay
teammate Jordan Sloan at Bangor Swimming Club under Coach Paul Dennis.
Gerry Quinn, who was part of the
Men's 4x200m team also trains at the National Centre (Dublin) under Higson,
whilst Freestyle team-mate Finn McGeever trains at the National Centre
(Limerick) under the Centre’s Head Coach John Szaranek.
Final team selection for Tokyo 2021
for these relays will be made at a later date.
Editors notes:
Following the Irish National Team
Trials in April, Ireland has five FINA 'A' Olympic Qualification times in
individual events and they are as follows:
Shane Ryan - 100m Backstroke
Darragh Greene - 100m Breaststroke
Darragh Greene - 200m Breaststroke
Mona McSharry - 100m Breaststroke
Daniel Wiffen - 800m Freestyle
Ten athletes achieved at least one
time within 1.5% of the FINA 'A' Olympic Qualification time and will have a
further qualification opportunity at the Swim Ireland Performance Meet from
June 24-26 at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre in Dublin. They are:
Jack McMillan
Niamh Coyne
Nicholas Quinn
Eoin Corby
Danielle Hill
Brendan Hyland
Calum Bain
Conor Ferguson
Jordan Sloan
Finn McGeever
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