2019 IRISH SC SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, December 12th – Sunday, December 15th
- National Aquatic Centre Dublin
- SCM
- Live Results/Meet Mobile
The 2019 Irish Short Course Swimming Championships kicked off yesterday, Thursday, December 12th in Dublin, where a remarkable 11 national records bit the dust over the course of just day 1.
Among the record-breaking bonanza was bronze medalist last week at the 2019 European Short Course Championships, Shane Ryan. He was back at his record-breaking ways, taking down the 100m freestyle national record as lead-off on the men’s 4x100m free relay.
The 25-year-old powered his way to a 46.68 opener, consisting of 22.11/24.57 as splits, to crush the previous national record of 46.93 he set last year. Just for perspective, his new 49.68 record would have placed 8th in the men’s 100m free individual final in Glasgow.
Along with teammates Jordan Sloan (46.87), Jack McMillan (47.70) and Robert Powell (48.94), Ryan’s squad collectively clocked a winning time of 3:10.19. That obliterated the previous Irish national record of 3:24.66 that’s been on the books for 15 years.
In another men’s race, 18-year-old Daniel Weffen produced a huge personal best of 7:54.15 to take down the Irish national record in the men’s 800m free. Prior to this meet, the Lisburn swimmer had never before been under the 8:00 threshold, but he accomplished the feat in spades to get atop the podium and clinch a historic time.
The women’s 4x100m freestyle relay also got it done for gold in record-breaking fashion on day 1. Mona McSharry (55.14), Danielle Hill (54.69), Victoria Catterson (55.96) and Erin Riordan (55.30) stopped the clock in a time of 3:41.09, taking down the previous Irish national mark of 3:54.72 with abandon.
Speedster Danielle Hill followed up her newly-minted 100m backstroke time of 58.62 clocked in Glasgow with an even quicker swim en route to gold last night. Slashing .33 off of that effort from last week, Hill’s new time of 58.29 now checks-in as the Irish national record.
Hill wasn’t done, however, as the 2o-year-old ace from Larne clinched the 50m free top prize in a time of 24.78 to register the only sub-25 second outing of teh field.
On-a-roll Brendan Hyland knocked down the national record in the men’s 200m IM, busting out a personal best of 1:56.74. That overtook the old record of 1:56.91.