The final day of the 2013 Irish Long Course National Championships saw two more victories from Hungarian visitor Katinka Hosszu, who in one of those events beat Sycerika McMahon. McMahon, however, was still awarded the official title of National Champion in the 200 IM, giving her six total National Championships for the meet.
In the 200 IM, Hosszu won in 2:11.84, with the big separation between her and runner-up McMahon (2:15.60) coming on the backstroke leg, where Hosszu broke open a three-second lead, and didn’t look back.
Hosszu added to that swim a win in the 100 fly with a 59.19, beating future Cal Bear Farida Osman, swimming for Egypt, in 1:00.52.
In the women’s 200 breaststroke, Fiona Doyle, who already won the 100 earlier in the meet, added a victory in the 200 with a 2:31.34. That itself won’t be a World Championship qualifying time, and is actually short of her best, but her focus on this meet was the 100 where she earned her bid to Barcelona.
Dan Sweeney topped Nicholas Quinn in the men’s 200 breaststroke in a very tight race. Despite a great closing 50 meters from the younger Quinn, it was the relative veteran Sweeney (at 20 years old, he’s on the upper end of the national-level Irish swimming scene) who won in 2:16.54. Quinn was 2nd in 2:16.68.
The highlight of the men’s side on the day, though, was 18-year old Brendan Hyland, who has his name now many times stamped on Irish record books. In the 200 IM, won by Sean Leahy in 2:05.14, Hyland finished 2nd in 2:05.77. That’s a new Irish Junior Record for the race.
Then, in the final of the 100 fly, he was technically 2nd to Egypt’s Marwan Adel (54.39), but Hyland was the first Irishman to the wall. He took a 54.50 to the Irish Junior and Senior National Records. That beat 54.67 set by Steven McQuillan in 2009.
Another Junior Record went down at the hands of Curtis Coulter in the 50 free to end the session with a 23.26.
The overall move coming out of Irish Nationals will be one of optimism. Though only one swimmer, Doyle, added her name to Chris Bryan and Sycerika McMahon for the World Championships, there were a couple of Senior National Records broken, and many-times-more in Junior National Records. The Irish team will be sorely missing the services of Grainne Murphy this summer, as she continues to work her way back from the glandular fever, but on the surface, there seems to be moderately more depth now than there has been in previous years. With 13 swimmers, mostly young juniors, headed to Irvine this summer for experience at the U.S. Open, the Irish team could continue to build momentum headed toward Rio.
Full, live meet results available here.
Qualifications
World Swimming Championships, 28th July – 4th August 2013, Barcelona, Spain
Previously Qualified: Sycerika McMahon (Leander ASC) Chris Bryan (Ennis SC) Fiona Doyle (Portmarnock SC)
European Junior Championships, 10th – 14th July 2013, Poznan, Poland
Previously Qualified :Sarah Kelly Comans SC, Clodagh Flood Tallaght SC/NAC HPC, Brendan Gibbons Athlone SC/NAC HPC, Mary Kate McDowell Bangor SC, Derbhail McNamara Westport SC, Brian O’Sullivan NAC SC, David O’Sullivan Galway SC, Gemma Kane Bangor ASC
World University Games, 10th – 17th July 2013, Kazan, Russia
Previously Qualified: Chris Bryan (Ennis SC), Fiona Doyle (Portmarnock SC), Andrew Meegan (Aer Lingus SC)
European Youth Olympic Festival, 14th – 19th July 2013, Utrecht, Netherlands
Previously Qualified: Niamh Kilgallon Claremorris SC, Rachel Bethel Lisburn City ASC, James Brown Ards AC, Morgan Berryman City of Belfast, Joseph Mooney Limerick SC, Benjamin Doyle Aer Lingus, Emma Reid Bangor SC.
US Open, 30th July – 3rd August 2013, Irvine, California
Today’s Qualifiers: Nicholas Quinn (200m Breaststroke) Castlebar, Dan Sweeney (200m Breaststroke) Sundays Well Previously Qualified: Brendan Gibbons (Athlone SC NAC HPC), Bethany Carson (Lisburn City SC), Andrew Meegan (Aer Lingus SC), Barry Murphy (Aer Lingus SC/NAC HPC), Brendan Hyland (Tallaght SC/NAC HPC), David Thomspon (Invictus ASC), Seamus Stacey NUIM Devils, Sean Leahy Dolphin SC, Curtis Coulter Ards ASC, David O’Sullivan Galway, Shauna O’Brien UCD, Michael Dawson
IPC World Championships, 11-17th August 2013, Montreal, Canada
Today’s Qualifiers: Ellen Keane (200IM & 100Fly) Aer Lingus SC, James Scully (50Free)Previously Qualified: James Scully NUIM Devils, Ellen Keane Aer Lingus SC, Bethany Firth Ards ASC, Darragh McDonald Asgard SC, Jonathan McGrath Limerick SC, Laurence McGivern Invictus ASC