Swim Ireland - Ireland’s Top Swimmers Chase International Qualifications

 

Swim Ireland’s Irish Open Swimming Championships start on Saturday (1st April) at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre in Dublin. The 5-day event will see almost five hundred swimmers from seventy clubs compete for national titles in thirty-four individual events and for places on seven Irish National Teams, including a home European Under 23 Championships in August.

The Open will be the final opportunity for swimmers to post consideration times for this summer’s international events including the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, World Para Swimming Championships in Manchester, United Kingdom, European U23 Championships, European Junior Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, European Youth Olympic Festival in Maribor, Slovenia, Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago and the European Junior Open Water Championships and LEN Open Water Cups.

Tokyo Olympians and Paralympians competing at the Open will be highlight points for the meet, with recent European record breakers Daniel Wiffen and Róisín NíRíain leading the way in this respect. Wiffen and Mona McSharry have a foot in the door already when it comes to selection for the World Championships based on their performances at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and European Championships respectively. Olympians Danielle Hill, Darragh Greene, Ellen Walshe and Finn McGeever will also compete, while Shane Ryan returns to racing after a period out of action. The Championships in Japan will offer a first opportunity for Irish swimmers to post an Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) for Paris 2024. Paralympic medallists Ellen Keane and Nicole Turner, NíRíain and Barry McClements are all already under consideration for the World Para Swimming Championships in Manchester in August having met the minimum qualification standards.

Speaking ahead of the event, Swim Ireland National Performance Director Jon Rudd commented, “Time flies as always in Performance sport, and with only a few days to go until the Irish Open Championships begins, excitement is mounting, particularly at the prospect of so many National Team places up for grabs this summer. The World Championships in July is the first of three opportunities for our athletes to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games, so a secured place on this team has additional value on this occasion. The stage is set, the athletes are ready, and we have five terrific days in Dublin to look forward to!”