The Irish Masters Swimming Championships brings out the best in Cork swimmers

The Irish Masters Swimming Championships recently took place at the University of Limerick, with impressive performances from swimmers across the country. 

A number of International Masters teams also participated with teams from Great Britain, Denmark, Norway and Lithuania. 

On the home front, Mallow Masters were well represented, particularly in the 1,500m freestyle on the opening evening. 

Viktoria Skuodiene and Joan McDonnell claimed victories in their respective age groups, while Kevin Myers secured silver. 

Skuodiene continued her strong form on day two, adding a silver medal in the 400m freestyle. Adrian Healy, Denis Merritt, and Donal Fitzpatrick also delivered strong performances in the 1,500m freestyle.

Sarah Louise McSweeney earned a podium finish with third place in the 1,500m freestyle, improving her ranking to second over the shorter 800m distance. 

Sandycove Island Masters' Michael McKeon took top honours in the 1,500m freestyle, with clubmates Carmel Collins and Paul De Waand each securing silver medals. 

Amy Wolfe of Cork Tri Club put in a stellar performance to claim the 1,500m freestyle title with an impressive time of 20:47.51.

Cork Masters swimmer Chris Kelleher set a new Irish Masters Record in the 100m breaststroke, clocking 1:12.09, and followed up with a dominant win in the 200m breaststroke, finishing in 2:45.32. 

His clubmate, Robert Cussen, took gold in the 100m butterfly 1:04.96 and silver in the 50m freestyle 27.02. George Roche emerged victorious in the 50m backstroke and secured silver in the 50m freestyle, where Eoin O'Broin also claimed a second-place finish. 

Cork Masters celebrated two Munster records, with Jenny Laffan in the 50m freestyle and Aoife Sexton in the 100m breaststroke.

SWSC swimmer Rob Lamb showcased his endurance with double gold in the 800m 11:10.76 and 400m 5:09.95 freestyle events, while also securing silver in the 200m freestyle 2:24.43. Margot Powell of SWSC, claimed silver in the 50m backstroke. 

Cork Tri Club also celebrated multiple podium finishes, with Anthony Creed winning gold in the 200m freestyle. Danny Finn and Brendan O'Neill both earned silver in their respective 200m IM age groups, with Finn adding bronze in the 100m butterfly. 

Siobhan McDermott, 50m backstroke and Adrian Quinn 400m freestyle, each won bronze for the club. Mallow Masters' James O'Connell also took home silver in the 100m butterfly 1:06.72.

Meanwhile, across the Irish Sea, a contingent of Cork swimmers competed at the Wycombe Premier Meet in London as part of the Munster Regional Pathway team. The meet offered long course racing opportunity in age group competition. 

All four Irish regions sent strong teams. Dolphin’s Ricky Fane was the standout performer, for Munster and Cork, dominating the 200m breaststroke with a clear victory in 2:29.68, well ahead of Swim Ulster’s Ryan McDowell 2:36.45. 

Fane also secured silver in the 100m breaststroke after a tight battle with McDowell, finishing in 1:08.54 to McDowell’s 1:08.84. 

He completed his medal haul with bronze in the 100m backstroke 1:04.28, alongside a sixth-place finish in the 100m butterfly and 13th place in the Open 50m breaststroke.

Dylan McGrath added another medal for the Munster team, touching third in the 400m freestyle. 

Dolphin’s James McIlroy narrowly missed out on a medal in the 400m IM, finishing fourth with a time of 5:08.05, just behind Wycombe's William Strong 5:07.12. 

McIlroy also put in a strong effort in the 100m butterfly, achieving a 4.34 second personal best to secure fifth place in 1:03.20, ahead of Blackneal’s Callum Ritchie 1:03.45. 

SWSC’s Virag Szatmari was another close contender, finishing fourth in the 100m breaststroke 1:19.05 behind Maidenhead’s Charlotte Burfill, 1:18.17.

The championships showcased the depth of talent within the Irish Masters swimming community, with record-breaking performances, personal bests, and strong international representation. 

Many of the Masters’ will continue to train and compete with a view to qualifying for the World Masters Championships to be held in Singapore in August of this year.

The results in Wycombe also highlight the dedication and competitive spirit of the younger athletes. 

Next up for them will be the Irish Open Championships to be held at the NAC in Dublin in April. 

This will be the qualifying meet for summer International competitions.