Tom Fannon, Ellen Walshe Lower Irish Records
Tom Fannon and Ellen Walshe have lowered Irish records at the Irish Summer National Youth and Senior Championships.
Fannon started it on the second day of the five-day meet on Wednesday. He went 21.58 in the men’s 50 freestyle, lowering his national mark of 21.74 from the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Fannon’s time is 10th in the world this year. He’s fourth among European competitors ahead of the continental championships next month.
The 28-year-old went 21.79 in prelims to put a scare into the time, then was markedly faster in the final.
Walshe on Friday added to her hefty bag of records with the 200 backstroke. She broke it twice, going 2:09.98 in prelims and 2:09.69 to win the final basically uncontested, her margin of victory more than eight seconds.
Walshe takes down the record set in 2012 by Olympian Melanie Nocher at 2:10.75. She put a scare into that record in May’s AP Race in London at 2:10.88.
Walshe now holds national records in four disciplines, with the 200 free mark, the 200 back, 100 and 200 fly and 200 and 400 individual medley. She also won the 50 backstroke in 28.62 seconds on Thursday,
John Shortt set a best time in the men’s 200 freestyle on Tuesday at 1:49.93, but he was second in the race to Evan Bailey’s 1:48.58. Shortt won the 200 backstroke a day later in 1:56.83, 1.1 seconds off the national mark he set in April.
National record holder Darragh Greene won the men’s 100 breaststroke in 1:01.61. He also captured the 50 breast in 27.72.
Rosalie Phelan won the women’s 50 free in 25.91 and the 100 free in 56.60. She also claimed the 50 fly in 27.41.
Thomas Leggett broke 50 seconds for the first time in his career with a winning time of 49.97 in the men’s 100 free.