Swim Ireland’s Irish Open Championships continued in Dublin on Sunday morning with Olympic semi-finalist Tom Fannon confirming his qualification for the World Championships in the 50m Freestyle. The National Centre Dublin swimmer swam an impressive Championship Record of 21.78, well inside the required World Aquatics A time of 22.05 and was just outside his Irish Record of 21.74 from Paris.
In the same event Lisburn City’s Matthew Hamilton finished fourth overall breaking his own Irish Junior Record of 22.93 in 22.78, securing a consideration time for the European Aquatics Junior Championships.
Fannon and Shane Ryan (22.48) will take the centre lanes for this evening’s semi-finals, with Ryan aiming for a time of 22.16 to validate his qualification for Singapore.
Olympic bronze medallist Mona McSharry leads the qualifiers for the Female 100m Breaststroke in 1:07.53. McSharry will need to be quicker than 1:07.20 to confirm her qualification for World Championships. Second seed Ellie McCartney clocked 1:07.99 to add to her 200m IM qualifications for both the European Aquatics U23 Championships and World University Games. In fourth overall, Shark’s Niamh Connery achieved the European Aquatics Junior Championships consideration time in 1:10.43.
In the 100m Butterfly, Jack Cassin added a consideration time for the European Aquatics U23 Championships to the 200m Freestyle time he had achieved on Saturday. The National Centre Limerick swimmer touched in 53.24 behind Berlin’s Luca Nik-Armbuster (52.98). In third place Matthew Hamilton touched in 54.18 and under the consideration time for the European Aquatics Junior Championships. 15-year-old Shea Mathers of Banbridge became the first to achieve the consideration time for the European Youth Olympic Festival in 58.65.
The qualification times continued to come in as Grace Davison added to her 200m IM consideration for the European Aquatics Junior Championships with a time in the 100m Freestyle. The Ards swimmer, who is a bronze medallist from the 2024 edition of the European Juniors in the event, clocked 56.30 leading Danielle Farrell (56.31), Victoria Catterson (56.31) and Danielle Hill (56.46).
Eoin Corby was the only swimmer under 62 seconds in the Open 100m Breaststroke heats with the National Centre Limerick swimmer touching in 1:01.86, followed by National Centre Ulster’s Lachey Reed (1:02.60) and National Centre Dublin’s Liam O’Connor (1:03.38). In fourth overall, Bangor’s Adam Bradley was under the European Aquatics Junior Championships consideration time of 1:03.63 in 1:03.59.
Sunday’s Finals session consists of Open and Female 100m Backstroke Finals, Female 1500m Freestyle Final, Open 800m Freestyle Final, Female 200m Butterfly Final, Male 200m Freestyle Final, Female 200m IM Final as well as semi-finals in the Open 50m Freestyle, Female and Open 100m Breaststroke, Female 100m Freestyle and Open 100m Butterfly.
Daniel Wiffen starred as he swam a world leading 800m Freestyle on day two of the Irish Open Swimming Championships in front of a sold-out Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre.
The Olympic Champion clocked 7:41.52, a new Championship Record, to lead the world rankings in 2025 so far. Wiffen’s time was just three seconds off his European and Olympic Record of 7:38.19.
Speaking after his race the Loughborough swimmer said, “This is the first time I’m going to say this on camera, I am quite disappointed. For me, the way I’ve been training I was expecting quite a bit faster but if I look at the time itself it’s the same (time) I won the World Championships in, it’s within .2 of a second off, it’s still quite a good time to win the Irish Championships gold.
“It’s amazing seeing this many people in the NAC, I’ve never seen so many people at an Irish Open. I loved it, it’s great to see the crowds come out and watch Ireland’s best swimmers.’
In the 50m Freestyle Semi-Finals, Tom Fannon impressed once again with a top seeded time of 21.77, knocking one hundredth of a second off the Championship Record of 21.78 he had set in Sunday morning’s heats. The time, which ranks Fannon fifth in the world this year, saw the Olympic semi-finalist under qualification for the World Aquatics Championships once again. Three-time Olympian Shane Ryan will be the second seed for Monday’s Final of the event after he won the first semi-final in 22.30. Fifth ranked Oisin Tebite was home in 22.81, under the consideration time of 22.93 for the European Aquatics U23 Championships.
Evan Bailey set his second Championship Record of the meet and claimed the 200m Freestyle National Title in a personal best swim of 1:47.04. The National Centre Limerick swimmer knocked .04 off the time of 1:47.08 he had set in Saturday’s heats to win his first Irish Open Title. Cormac Rynn was the only other swimmer under 1.50 touching for silver in 1:49.41.
National Centre Limerick’s Ellie McCartney continued her fine form in the 100m Breaststroke Semi-Finals and is now Ireland’s second fastest ever swimmer in the event having posted a time of 1:07.00, only Mona McSharry has been faster. McCartney will take the centre lane for Monday’s Final, with McSharry, who clocked 1:07.24, second ranked.
In the Men’s 100m Breaststroke Semi-Finals Eoin Corby topped the rankings once again with a sixty-one second swim, Corby’s time was good enough to see him under the consideration time for the European Aquatics U23 Championships. Bangor’s Adam Bradley was second overall in 1:02.00, once again under the consideration time for the European Aquatics Junior Championships.
17-year-old Clare Custer won her first National Title in the 1500m Freestyle as the only swimmer under the 17 minute mark. The 17-year-old cruised to victory over Kingdom’s Lily Doyle (17:27.63) and Larne’s Skye Austin-Burrows (17:44.72)
In the 200m Butterfly Final, Alana Burns Atkin retained the National Title for the fourth year in a row. The National Centre Ulster swimmer topped the podium in 2:16.85 followed by Eva Bayley of New Ross in 2:23.64 and Eva Hand of Bangor 2:29.83.
Brandon Biss of Swim Belfast was crowned the first National Champion of the week as the Swim Belfast man came home in 56.72 in the Open 100m Backstroke Final. Biss finished behind Portugal’s Joao Costa who claimed commemorative gold in 54.91 and ahead of Neddie Irwin (57.67) of National Centre Limerick and New Ross’ Emmet Cousins (57.69).
National Centre Ulster’s Lottie Cullen won her second consecutive 100m Backstroke National Title. The 20-year-old touched in 1:01.56 and inside the consideration time for both the World University Games and European Aquatics U23 Championships. National Centre Ulster’s Maria Godden was second in 1:02.10 with UCD’s Jena Macdougald claiming the bronze medal in 1:04.02.
17-year-old Niamh Connery, who secured a qualification time for the European Aquatics Junior Championships in the 100m Breaststroke, doubled up on events on day two with a win in the 200m Individual Medley. It was the Shark swimmers first National Title as she claimed gold in 2:20.91 ahead of UCDs Jena Macdougald (2:21.62) and National Centre Limerick’s Lucy O’Brien (2:23.28).
Larne’s Danielle Hill leads the qualifiers for Monday’s 100m Freestyle Final winning the second semi-final in 55.46 seconds. Grace Davison won the first semi-final in 56.02 seconds to progress second overall.
Jack Cassin was the fastest Irish swimmer in the 100m Butterfly semi-finals posting 53.32 behind Portugal’s Diogo Matos Ribeiro (52.75) and Germany’s Luca-Nik Armbuster (53.26). In tenth place, 16-year-old Thomas Bugler of Sundays Well was under the consideration time for the European Aquatics Junior Championships in 56.46.
Competition continues Monday morning with the heats of the Open and Female 200m Backstroke, Open and Female 400m Freestyle, Open 200m Individual Medley and Female 100m Butterfly.
Results can be found HERE.
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