BLACKROCK were the top performing club at the Future Challenger meet, held at University of Limerick, with 13 of the team featuring on the podium. 

Many of these young athletes were in action again on the following weekend at the Munster Minor Schools Championships, also held at UL.

Alexandra Egar was the star in the 10-year-old category with victories at 100m IM, 50m freestyle and 25m freestyle kick. Egar continued that fine performance, when competing for Eglantine Girls school, with double gold 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly. Egar also helped her school to double gold in the 10 & Under freestyle & medley relays.

Oscar O’Connor claimed a full set of medals in the 11-year-old category with victory at 100m breaststroke, silver at 100m freestyle and bronze at 100m IM. Maylie Hoffman was the silver medalist at 50m freestyle, and the boys doubled up on the freestyle podium with Aonghus O’Neill in 2nd and Fionn O’Leary 3rd. Roisin McGrath was the silver medallist at 100m breaststroke.

As has been a feature at the previous Future Challenger meets, the trio of Lev Lobanets, William Egar and Sonny Barrett, dominated the 12-year-old category. Lobanets was the victor at 100m IM and 50m freestyle. On both occasions, Egar was the double bronze medallist. Barrett won double silver at 100m breaststroke and 200m freestyle. He was joined on the breaststroke podium by Lobanets who placed third. 

The trio also featured prominently for their respective schools with Lobanets claiming double gold at 50m freestyle and 50m breaststroke, for Douglas Rochestown Educate Together. Barrett & Egar were two of the stars for St. Anthony’s Boys, Barrett with double gold at 100m IM and 50m breaststroke, while Egar won 50m butterfly and was the silver medallist at 50m freestyle. Both boys combined with schoolmates to win the 11-12 medley and freestyle relays.

DOUBLE DELIGHT

St. Anthony’s also won double silver in the 10&Under relays. Individual medallists for the school included Harry Canty, Charlie Barrett, Jack Cruise and Ruairi O’Sullivan.

Mati O’Conaill, Amanda Mulvihill, Scarlett Collins and Max O’Connor all featured on the podium for Blackrock in the 13/14 age group at the Future Challenger.

Dolphin athletes to shine at the Future Challenger included Phillipa Costello with two silver medals at 100m IM and 50m freestyle and bronze at 25m freestyle kick, in the 10-year-old category. Seb Dunne won silver at 100m IM in the 11-year-old category. In the 12-year-old category, Claire Bugler won the 100m freestyle and placed third at 100m IM, Jessica Merrigan won double bronze at 200m & 100m freestyle and Laura Garcia Villa was the silver medallist at 100m IM. Adam Mikolaj won the 13-14 year old 100m IM.

Claire Bugler and Jess Merrigan represented Scoil an Chroi Naofa, Glanmire at the Schools championships. Bugler won double bronze at 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle, while Merrigan claimed bronze at 50m breaststroke. Costello, swimming for Watergrasshill NS, won the 50m backstroke and placed 2nd at 50m freestyle.

The stars for Streamline SC, Cobh included Cillian Turner, Thomas Anglim and Frederic Tuytten in the 10 years category. Turner won the 50m freestyle with Anglim in 3rd. The placings were reversed in the 100m IM with Anglim in 2nd and Turner in 3rd. 

Turner added silver at 20m freestyle, representing Bunscoil Rinn and Chabhlaigh. Tuytten won the 25m freestyle kick at the Future Challenger and placed 2nd in the 100m backstroke, swimming for Midleton Educate Together at the Minor Schools. Panna Sipos, also from Midleton Educate Together was the bronze medallist at 50m breaststroke. Cai Horgan won double silver for the Cobh club, in 100m & 50m freestyle, at the Future Challenger.

Lucy O’Mahony was the star for Sundays Well SC at the Future Challenger. Swimming in the 13-14 age group, she won gold in all four of her events, 200m, 100m & 50m freestyle and also in the 100m IM. Claire Bradley collected a set of medals in the 11 years age group, with victory at 50m freestyle, silver in 100m IM and bronze in 100m freestyle. Bradley, swimming for Ballygarvan NS won gold at 50m butterfly and silver at 100m IM.