Ireland’s John Shortt, Grace Davison and Adam Bradley have all progressed through the heats to semi-finals on the opening day of racing at the European Aquatics Junior Championships in Samorin, Slovakia, the same venue that hosted last weeks’ European Aquatics U23 Championships.
Reigning 200m Backstroke European Junior Champion John Shortt got his campaign underway in the 50m Backstroke heats with a personal best swim of 25.51 to finish second in his heat and will be third seed into the semi-final. The National Centre Limerick swimmers previous best had stood at 25.69 from 2023.
In the 200m Freestyle, Paris Olympian Grace Davison was third in her heat in 2:01.23, the Ards swimmer advances eighth overall into the semi-final and will look to be on her best time of 2:00.63 to qualify for Wednesday’s Final.
Adam Bradley, swimming the 50m Breaststroke, will also be in semi-final action on Tuesday. The Mount Kelly (UK) swimmer clocked a personal best of 28.42 to progress fourth from his heat and fifteenth overall.
In the Men’s 200m Butterfly both Phelim Hanley of Blackrock and Sundays Wells’ Thomas Bugler impressed with big personal bests. Hanley took over three seconds off his best of 2:06.86 touching in 2:03.23 while Bugler knocked over four seconds off his best of 2:10.90 coming home in 2:06.83.
Sean Donnellan was also competing in the 200m Butterfly clocking 2:07.52. The Glenalbyn swimmer had earlier finished in 1:54.81 in the 200m Freestyle.
Also, competing in the 200m Freestyle, National Centre Limerick’s Denis O’Brien was the fastest of the Irish swimmers in a personal best of 1:51.80. New Ross’ Luca Power touched in 1:54.12 and Dolphin’s Tadgh O’Brien in 1:57.45
Shark’s (Galway) Niamh Connery got her European Juniors underway in the 400m Individual Medley in 5:11.96. Adeline Cloutier made her Ireland debut in the 50m Backstroke in 30.61, while National Centre Dublin’s Ava Jones warmed up for her main events in the 50m Breaststroke clocking 32.40.
Clare Custer took on the final event of the day, the 1500m Freestyle Heats, completing her Ireland debut in 16:51.20, just outside her best time of 16:49.26 and finishing twelfth overall.
Ireland’s John Shortt has secured a place in the 50m Backstroke Final on the opening night of racing at the European Aquatics Junior Championships in Slovakia.
The National Centre Limerick swimmer, who is the reigning European Junior Champion in the 200m Backstroke, got his Championships underway this morning with a personal best swim in the 50m Backstroke of 25.51. The 18-year-old, swimming in the second semi-final this evening, clocked 25.63 in a tight race for fourth place, the result seeing him through to Wednesday’s Final in seventh overall. Neutral athlete Georgii Iakovlev is the top seed for Wednesday’s 17.19 (IRL) Final in 24.98.
Despite a faster swim than this morning, and a personal best in the 200m Freestyle, Ards’ Grace Davison just missed out on a place in the Final by seven hundredths of a second. The Paris Olympian, whose best time stood at 2:00.63, touched in 2:00.17 for fifth in her heat and tenth overall. Davison is back in action on Wednesday morning in the 50m Freestyle heats.
In the 50m Breaststroke Semi-Final, Adam Bradley was home in 28.79 seconds for sixteenth place overall. The Mount Kelly swimmer will be back in action on Thursday in the 200m Breaststroke.
Also, in action on Wednesday, one of the youngest members of Team Ireland in Samorin Lucy O’Brien makes her Ireland debut in the 100m Butterfly and Phelim Hanley returns to action in the 200m Individual Medley after an excellent opening day swim in the 200m Butterfly.
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