Swim Ireland - John Shortt and Ellen Walshe Highlight Friday’s Irish Open Heats

 

Swim Ireland’s Irish Open Championships and Olympic Trials continued at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre this morning with John Shortt and Ellen Walshe highlighting the preliminary rounds.

National Centre Limerick’s Shortt looked impressive in the heats of the 200m Backstroke. The 17-year-old was just half a second outside his Irish Record of 1:58.47 touching in 1:59.03. Shortt enters Friday’s A Final as the fastest qualifier and only swimmer under the two-minute mark. The Galway man will be aiming for an Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) of 1:57.50.

Ellen Walshe, already qualified for Paris in the 200m Individual Medley, came home in 58.39 in the 100m Butterfly to register her third fastest ever swim in the event. Walshe, the Irish Record holder in the event in 57.96, will aim for the OQT of 57.92 in this afternoon’s A Final.

In the Men’s 400m Freestyle, National Centre Limerick swimmer Cormac Rynn registered his first sub four-minute swim, topping the field, which included Daniel Wiffen, in 3:57.79. Wiffen was the only other swimmer under four minutes in 3:59.81.

In the Women’s 200m Backstroke Maria Godden secured top seed for the A Final in 2:16.82 ahead of Annabelle Wilkinson (2:18.45) and 100m Backstroke National Champion Lottie Cullen (2:20.98).

Ards’ Amelia Kane, swimming in heat two, was fastest out of the Women’s 400m Freestyle in 4:23.97 ahead of 2022 and 2023 National Champion in the event Grace Hodgins, who won heat three in 4:25.01. The pair will go head-to-head this afternoon for the 2024 National Title.

Just four hundredths of a second separated the top two in the Men’s 200m IM with Bangor’s Lachey Reed (2:09.35) and Matthew Hand (2:09.39) the only two swimmers under 2:10.

Competition continues this evening featuring Paris qualified Danielle Hill (100m Freestyle), Tom Fannon (50m Freestyle) and Ellen Walshe (100m Butterfly). Max McCusker (100m Butterfly), Darragh Greene (100m Breaststroke) and Niamh Coyne (100m Breaststroke) are top seeds in their respective Super Finals with a final opportunity for Olympic qualification coming in those events.