Cork Swimming: Sunday's Well take top prize at Gerry Ryan Gala

AFTER a two-year break, the Gerry Ryan Invitational Gala made a welcome return at UL recently. 

The meet attracted entries from clubs across the three southern regions and Sunday's Well brought a large team and were rewarded with some outstanding individual performances from a wide range of athletes. In addition, the club won all but one of the relay events and was awarded the ‘Best Club of the Meet’.

Thomas Bugler was the top individual performer for the club with five victories. Swimming in the 13-14 age group, he had a 5.14 second PB to win the 100m butterfly 1:06.12 ahead of Liam O’Driscoll 1:09.39. The boys also shared the podium at 200m freestyle with Bugler in pole on 2:16.54. O’Driscoll had a 12.62 second PB to place 3rd on 2:18.03. Bugler’s other victories came at 400m free 4:54.73, 100m breaststroke 1:22.37 and 100m freestyle 1:01.67. He also had two 2nd place finishes at 200m breaststroke 2:58.86 and 50m freestyle 28.86.

O’Drisccoll added victories at 200m backstroke 2:32.76, 200m butterfly. He improved by 5.31 seconds to win the 200m butterfly. He also won gold at 400m IM 5:24.68 but had to settle for silver at 200m IM 2:36.74, but was happy with a six-second PB.

FAB FIVE

Another with five victories was Sharon Semchiy. 

Swimming in the senior category, she had a hat trick of victories in the butterfly events posting 28.98 at 50m, 1:04.27 at 100m and 2:26.23 at 200m. She also topped the podium at 100m backstroke 1:07.52 and at 200m IM 2:27.99. She was joined on the 200m IM podium by Isobel Kidney in 2nd place with 2:28.30. Semchiy added silver at 50m backstroke 31.75.

Isobel Kidney and Beth Nolan were regulars on the breaststroke podium. Nolan topped the 200m with 2:45.66 with Kidney in 2nd on 2:48.24. The girls reversed the order over 100m with Kidney the victor with 1:15.39 and Nolan with 1:16.59 for 2nd place. Limerick’s Eimear Doyle topped the 50m podium on 33.04. Kidney was 2nd with 33.63 and Nolan completing the podium with 35.91. Nolan topped the 200m backstroke podium 2:26.48 and was the bronze medallist at 50m freestyle 28.90.

Caoilinn O’Connor had a busy schedule with eight events and was rewarded with four silver and four bronze medals in the 13-14 age group. Three of her silver medals came across the breaststroke events. She had an 8.94 second PB to touch on 3:05.08 over 200m ahead of Faye Carroll. Carroll had an impressive 26.01 second PB to touch on 3:06.81 for third. 

O’Connor posted 1:25.07 over 100m and 39.27 over 50. Her fourth silver came at 100m backstroke when she improved by 6.81 seconds to touch on 1:14.10 ahead of Aoife Gardiner in third with 1:15.75. Gardiner’s time was a 4.93-second PB. Her bronze medals came at 50m backstroke, 200m IM and at 100m butterfly. She had an impressive 12.97 second PB at 200m IM to touch on 2:41.26.

DOUBLE

Antonia Sech had a backstroke double with victories at 100m & 200m. She had a 3.03 second PB over 400m freestyle to win bronze on 4:54.73. She collected a second bronze at 50m freestyle.

Freestyle specialist, Anna Feenan won double gold at 400m & 200m but had to settle for silver over the shorter 100m distance. Her brother, Andrew, a breaststroke specialist won double gold over 100m & 200m.

The meet was also a very successful outing for the Mallow athletes with many posting significant PBs over the longer distance events. Fiorna O’Keeffe posted a 31.65 second PB to claim gold in the senior 1,500m freestyle 1:46.61. Eanna Garvey touched on 18:37.86 for silver in the senior 1,500m freestyle. He claimed a second silver at 400m IM 5:13.39 which was an impressive 24.01 second PB. Daisy O’Toole was another to impress in the 400m IM. She posted a 21.48 second PB to claim silver in the 15-16 age group. Caroline Roche posted a 25.09 second PB to claim the top spot at 800m freestyle 11:14.01.

A mix of the Mallow boys, Senan Harvey, Jack Bugler, Eanna Garvey, Odhran Ward, Ruairi O’Keeffe, David Duane and Evan Buckley combined to win bronze in the male 400m medley, male 200m free and male 400m free relays.