Irish swimmers will take to the pool this weekend (Friday to Sunday) for the first National competition of 2015. The Dave McCullagh Memorial Meet, which will incorporate the Ulster International Meet, takes place at the Bangor Aurora Leisure Complex in County Down. Over 350 swimmers from 60 clubs including 10 foreign clubs will compete in 32 individual and 6 team events across three days of competition.
Ireland’s senior swimmers will be seeking qualification for the FINA World Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia in August as well as the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea in July and with the Rio 2016 Olympic Qualifying period now open pressure will begin to mount to meet those times. Chris Bryan, Fiona Doyle and Sycerika McMahon have already met the criteria for selection for both of the Summer events and will not be competing this weekend.
Ireland’s junior swimmers will be looking to qualify for the first European Games in Baku, the European Youth Olympics in Georgia and the World Junior Championships, while Paralympic athletes, including 2013 World Championship medallists Darragh McDonald, Ellen Keane, James Scully and Laurence McGivern will also be in action at the Dave McCullagh Meet as they look to meet the qualification times for the IPC World Swimming Championships in Glasgow in July. Tough competition will come for them in the form of members of the British and Scottish Paralympic teams over the weekend.
Speaking before the event Swim Ireland National Performance Director Peter Banks commented “This is an important year for Irish swimmers a year out form the Olympics in Rio. Swimmers making the teams this Summer are looking at qualifying for Rio early with the qualification window now open since March 1st.”
Swim news courtesy Swim Ireland