Young Cork swimmers set high bar at Aspiring Champions meet in UL

The first Aspiring Champions meet of the season, held at the University of Limerick, produced some exciting results for Cork swimmers who have set a high bar for the year ahead. 

Athletes from across the city and county clubs competed with athletes from clubs across the Munster region. Coaches were happy with the cumulative results, which yielded a good measure of early-season progress.

Athletes were restricted to a max of six events over the two days. The top performers for Cork were Phelim Hanley, (15) Blackrock, and Shauna Murphy (16) Dolphin both with six victories from their six events.

Hanley was the comfortable winner at 100m backstroke 59.20 ahead of Fionn O’Brien, Mallow. The two shared the 200m freestyle podium, Hanley on 1:56.44 and O’Brien in 3rd. He posted 2:09.28 for victory at 200m IM ahead of another Mallow swimmer, Ruben Power in 3rd. Hanley was pushed by Dolphin’s Tadgh O’Brien in the 100m IM but held on to clinch victory on 1:01.15 with O’Brien on 1:01.49. 

Hanley topped an all-Cork podium at 100m butterfly, 57.92 with Thomas Bugler, SWSC in 2nd 1:00.08 and Power picking up a second bronze with 1:08.88. Hanley topped another all-Cork podium over the sprint 50m breaststroke. He stopped the clock on 32.74 with Sean Semchiy, SWSC in 2nd with 35.09 and his club mate Cian O’Sullivan in 3rd with 36.22.

GOLDEN

Shauna Murphy was the darling for Dolphin. She won double gold at 100m & 200m freestyle. A time of 1:08.08 secured victory at 100m IM. She was the comfortable victor at 200m backstroke 2:22.15 ahead of Carrie Harrington, SWSC in 2nd. She was ed by club mate Aine O’Brien in 3rd at 200m breaststroke. Her sixth and final event of the meet, yielded victory at 100m butterfly 1:08.621 ahead of Ava Huggard, Streamline, Cobh in 3rd.

Dolphin’s Tadgh O’Brien who competed at the Junior European Open Water Championships during the summer, was the comfortable victor at 800m freestyle 8:25.33 ahead of club mate James McIllroy in 3rd with 9:16.67. O’Brien shared the 400m IM podium with club mate Billy Anglim in 2nd place. It was an O’Brien top two at 200m breaststroke. Tadgh in pole position with 2:33.47 and Mallow’s Fionn in 2nd with 2:46.41.

Lexi Dunne led her club mates to an all-Dolphin podium at 50m freestyle when she posted 27.16 for victory ahead of club mates, Orna Higgins in 2nd 28.65 and Aoibhe Moroney in 3rd with 29.59. She repeated the feat at 100m backstroke stopping the clock on 1:07.84 with Higgins again in 2nd and Emma Crowley in 3rd. Dunne doubled up with gold at 50m backstroke ahead of Siofra Deasy, SWSC in 3rd. She posted 1:06.46 for victory at 100m IM with club mate Elin Manson in 3rd. Dunne collected two silver medals in the butterfly events, posting 1:05.91 for 100m and 29.03 over 50m. Manson placed third in that 50m butterfly 32.39.

Roisin Brannigan topped an all-Cork podium at 200m backstroke with 2:35.19 ahead of Amy Murphy, SWSC on 2:36.74 and Aimee O’Herlihy in 3rd with 2:37.02. Little separated Brannigan and Murphy over the shorter 100m backstroke, but Brannigan held on to clinch victory on 1:11.66 ahead of Murphy on 1:11.85. Brannigan won gold at 50m & 100m butterfly but had to settle for 2nd over the longer 200m.

ALL CORK

Garvan Gillard (14) was the top performer for SWSC. He topped an all-Cork podium at 100m backstroke 1:05.84 ahead of Bruno Perez Riuz, Blackrock on 1:07.25 and Adam Mikolaj, Dolphin in 3rd 1:07.88. The three also shared the 200m backstroke podium but with a change of placings. Bruno in pole with 2:24.18, Mikolaj in 2nd 2:25.92 and Gillard 3rd on 2:30.33. Gillard had two further gold medal performances at 50m backstroke and 100m butterfly and had two silver medals at 100m & 200m freestyle.

The boys from SWSC produced a classic finish to the sprint 50m freestyle in the 16-year-old category. David O’Leary touching first 25.34, Dylan Gunn 2nd 26.48 and Vincent Kopczynski 3rd with 27.08. O’Leary added two further gold medals at 100m freestyle and 200m breaststroke.

Killian McCarthy (14) SWSC impressed with double gold at 100m & 200m breaststroke. He placed 2nd at 200m IM and 3rd at the more challenging 400m IM.