Swim Ireland Performance Meet Ends After Hill Earns Consideration Time But Walshe Must Wait

Danielle Hill: Photo Courtesy: Swim Ireland

The Swim Ireland Performance Meet concluded on Saturday following a competition in which Danielle Hill earned an Olympic consideration time in the 100 back and five new Irish senior and two junior records were set.

Darragh Greene (100/200 breaststroke), Shane Ryan (100 backstroke), Daniel Wiffen (800 freestyle) and Mona McSharry (100 breaststroke) had already booked an individual slot for Tokyo with Hill now set to join them.

Ellen Walshe‘s ticket to Tokyo is in the hands of the selectors after her 200IM Irish record of 2:12.02 was inside the FINA ‘A’ cut.

25 June 2021; / during day two of the 2021 Swim Ireland Performance Meet at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. Photo by David Kiberd/Sportsfile

Ellen Walshe: Photo Courtesy: David Kiberd / SPORTSFILE

However, Swim Ireland‘s selection policy states “that to be in a position to qualify for the Games from this June Performance Meet, athletes had to be within 1.5% of the FINA ‘A’ standard at the Olympic Trials meet in April.

“Prior to the meet, Swim Ireland named the 10 athletes who were in that position and Walshe was not one of them. The matter will be taken under consideration.”

Come Saturday evening and there was disappointment for Jack McMillan whose time of 1:47.20 was 0.18s off the consideration time in the 200 free.

Eoin Corby missed out in the 200 breaststroke with his time of 2:11.34 almost a second off the 2:10.35 cut.

In the 100 babck Conor Ferguson touched the wall in 54.75, swimming solo in his efforts to hit 53:85.

National Centre Dublin (NCD) swimmer Gerry Quinn posted 49.57 in the 100 free and fellow NCD swimmer Niamh Coyne finished first with a time of 2:30.48 in the 200br.

Ards swimmer Paddy Johnston took the win in the Men’s 100m Butterfly with a time of 53.81, swimming just outside of his personal best time of 53.32.

The 800m Freestyle was won by 16-year-old Ella Carroll from National Centre Limerick who posted a big personal best of 9:13.67.

Nathan Wiffen took a whopping 5.5 seconds off his personal best coming into the meet, posting a time of 2:04.25 in the 200m back.

Hill won the 50 free in 25.30, touching 0.11s outside her Irish record while Callum Bain posted a PB of 22.16 in the men’s event.

Jon Rudd – Photo Courtesy: Jon Rudd

National Performance Director Jon Rudd said:

“We have been privileged to watch some very exciting racing this week and it has been great to see so many of our athletes perform well and stake claims for international selection, including the Olympic Games.

“We can now look forward to the Games in Tokyo, a European Junior Championships in Rome and a number of domestic competitions to bring the season to a head; no doubt that these will be exciting weeks that will keep us gripped and entertained during the summer.”

Final nominations to the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) will issue from Swim Ireland towards the end of next week, following a meeting of the Swim Ireland Selection Panel.

The Swim Ireland Board will meet in advance of the Selection Panel and will also be in discussion with the OFI in respect of several matters relating to qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

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