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Ellen Walshe ended her World Championships with fifth and sixth place Finals finishes, Nathan Wiffen secured a top eight World placing and 50m Backstroke bronze medallist Shane Ryan closed out his Championships in the 50m Freestyle Semi-Final on the penultimate night of racing at the World Aquatics Championships (SC) in Budapest.

Walshe will leave Budapest with eight Irish Records in the 50m and 100m Butterfly and 100m and 200m IM, and top 10 placings in the 200m IM (5^th), 400m IM (5^th), 100m Butterfly (6^th) and 100m IM (9^th) after an impressive week of racing.

On Saturday, the Templeogue swimmer swam a finals double, placing sixth in the 100m Butterfly in 55.68, just outside her new Irish Record of 55.50 from the semi-final, an hour later she was back for the 400m IM where she touched fifth in 4:29.86.

Speaking after her races Walshe said “I’m happy enough, I knew tonight would be tough with a lot of fatigue in my legs, but happy to come away with fifth and sixth in each of the events.”

Nathan Wiffen confirmed his first top eight world placing in his first World Championships in the 800m Freestyle fastest heat. Wiffen was just off his personal best of 7:34.78 clocking 7:35.92 to finish fifth in the heat and eighth overall.

Shane Ryan closed out his week with his second fastest ever swim in the 50m Freestyle Semi-Finals. Ryan, who won 50m Backstroke Bronze on Friday, had secured the Semi-Final place in a new Irish Record of 21.07. In the first semi-final tonight, he clocked 21.28 for eighth place.

Ryan returns to Ireland with a bronze medal and three new Irish Records in the 50m and 100m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke.

Commenting after the race he said,  “Tonight I swam it a bit different, I tried to be a bit more aggressive but then you slip and I’m not really an aggressive type of person, I’m big and I like gripping the water a bit more so I think I need to use my strengths, but hey it’s a 50, so it was fun and great to make it to the Semi-Final.

“I came in with not a lot of race experience for the year. I had a goal set, trying to be faster and faster and faster and I’m in some of the best shape of my life at the moment, I’m going pbs and I’m going to try and continue this over the Christmas and gear up for Singapore (World Championships) in the Summer.  I have a really good mentality right now and I’m happy, so yeah, it’s great.”

Morning Session

Walshe, who has set eight new Irish Records so far this week, will double up on this evening (above) as she competes in both the 100m Butterfly and 400m Individual Medley Finals. The Templeogue swimmer qualified for the 100m Butterfly Final on Friday as the third fastest qualifier and was back on the blocks Saturday morning where she was third in her heat of the 400m Individual Medley in 4:29.78 to secure a place in the Final as fifth seed. The 23-year-old is a silver medallist in the 400m Individual Medley from the 2021 edition of the event.

Speaking after her race Walshe said, “I think this morning was just to be comfortable to get back, I’ve been in this Final before, It’s exciting. I think the two Finals is going to be tough tonight so whatever I have left is whatever I have left. I’m hurting now and I think to finish on a 400m IM is pretty tough, it felt tough this morning, but I know after doing it once this morning that it will be the last race tonight. It’s been a great meet and it’s been exciting.”

Walshe will have an hour between Finals with the 100m Butterfly Final at 16.32 (IRL) and 400m Individual Medley Final at 17.30 (IRL).

Having won Ireland’s fourth ever World Aquatics short course medal and his first World medal in six years on Friday night, Shane Ryan returned for the 50m Freestyle heats where he set a new Irish Record of 21.07, making him Ireland’s fastest ever swimmer in the short course pool. The National Centre Dublin swimmer broke Tom Fannon’s Irish Record of 21.21 from 2023.

Ryan was sixth in his heat and advances in fourteenth overall having swum next to a new World Record in the event from Cayman Island’s Jordan Crooks in 20.08.

Tom Fannon, also competing in the 50m Freestyle, was just off his best time, the previous Irish Record of 21.21, clocking 21.25 for seventeenth overall and just outside the semi-finals; he’ll be first reserve.

In the Women’s 50m Freestyle, Danielle Hill closed out her Championships with a time of 24.35, outside her Irish Record of 24.00. Hill will be second reserve for this evening’s semi-finals.

Speaking after her final race Hill said, “It’s been a lot of learning, a lot of near misses but I’ve been through this exact process I don’t know how many times and I’m in a much better place mentally, so it’s just about going back and doing more work, I think that’s the harsh reality of it all, I haven’t done enough work and that’s absolutely fine.

“The priority this year is actually not swimming. I went back to university and I’m studying a Masters which is quite full on. I just sat an exam yesterday morning, from the outside looking in no one sees that, so it’s been tough over the last six months trying to manage going back to school again. But I’m happy, I love where I’m at in my swimming, I’m enjoying it, and I think that’s the main priority moving forward but most definitely can look forward to building into long course season.”

In the Men’s 400m Individual Medley Jack Cassin swam 4:12.96, just outside his best time of 4:11.87, his final race in Budapest.

Niamh Coyne and Eoin Corby both closed out their World Championships in the 50m Breaststroke Heats. Coyne clocked 31.48 while Corby was home in 27.44.

This afternoon Ryan and Walshe will be joined in action by Nathan Wiffen who swims the fastest heat of the 800m Freestyle.  Wiffen swims the event in which his brother Daniel is the World Record holder from the European Aquatics Championships (SC) in 2023.

Day 5 Heats/Finals Results – Saturday 14^th December

On Sunday, the final day of competition in Budapest, Evan Bailey and Lottie Cullen make their World Championship debuts in the 200m Freestyle and 200m Backstroke respectively. John Shortt returns for the 200m Backstroke having set a new Irish Junior Record in the 100m Backstroke earlier in the week. The 17-year-old is the Irish Record holder in the event having lowered his own record of 1:54.02 to 1:52.62 last month.

Day 6 Heats Schedule – Saturday 14^th December