News

Swimming got underway at Paris Le Défense on Saturday with Ellen Walshe and Ireland Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay diving into action on the opening morning.

In the 100m Butterfly, Ellen Walshe, competing in her second Olympic Games, clocked 58.70 for sixth place in her heat.

Speaking after the race the Templeogue swimmer said, ‘‘I don’t think the time is great but considering I’m trying to race the 400m (Individual Medley) on Monday, I have to keep a bit of mileage in my belt and my legs a bit fresh too; but it felt good going in and I just enjoyed it to be honest, it was great to be out there and first for Ireland.

‘The atmosphere out there is electric, it’s great to be a part of it and I think to walk out and be first for Ireland is also just amazing. It’s great to have them (family) here. The whole family doesn’t get to come a lot, as we race halfway across the world, but I think to have them in the stands, no idea where they are but that’s probably a good thing, so that’s pretty special.’

Walshe’s main events come later in the week with the 400m Individual Medley on Monday and 200m Individual Medley on Friday.

Erin Riordan, Victoria Catterson and Grace Davison, making their Olympic debuts, joined Tokyo Olympian Danielle Hill in the Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay; Ireland’s first female relay at a Games since Munich 1972. The quartet were just outside the Irish Record of 3:41.75 in 3:42.67, for eighth in their heat, after a great battle with Hong Kong in the next lane who touched just ahead in 3:42.42.

Looking ahead to the 100m Backstroke on Monday, Hill said, “It was incredible. And obviously freestyle isn’t the forte, but to stand you know, alongside these girls, and get that first kind of nerves out of the way and now we I can look forward to the rest of the week, the individual races and back up in the relay again,  so you know that’s just the first step done, run through processes of everything, you know, fine line some things and move forward now.’

Sunday will see Mona McSharry make her Paris debut in the 100m Breaststroke. McSharry, a finalist in the event in Tokyo, will look to progress to the semi-final when she goes in the heats of the event at 10.27am.

Saturday 27th July Results

• Women 100m Butterfly Heats              Ellen Walshe                                        58.70 (22^nd)
• Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay       Danielle Hill, Grace Davison, Erin Riordan & Victoria Catterson           3:42.67 (16^th)

Sunday 28^th July

• 10.27am Women’s 100m Breaststroke Heats, Mona McSharry (heat 5/5)