Cork Swimming: Exciting displays at Aspiring Champions meet in UL

THE first of three days of Aspiring Champions took place at University of Limerick.

The event attracted a very large entry, which necessitated the distance events moved out to a third day, to facilitate all entries. Swimmers were restricted to four swims on each day.

The first event of the day yielded a top-three finish for the boys of Blackrock. In a ‘head to head’ finish at 100m backstroke Rasmus Jakobsen (13) clinched victory on 1:18.67 ahead of William Egar 1:18.68 and Ruairi O’Sullivan 1:20.41. Jakobsen had a very impressive victory at 200m butterfly 3:01.92 ahead of Lev Lobanets, Dolphin 3:13.16. Lobanets claimed the 100m freestyle 1:03.95 ahead of Egar in 3rd and also won the 100m butterfly 1:16.11 ahead of Conor Holland, Fermoy 1:18.92. Holland placed 3rd at 200m IM 2:54.71.

Rene Malley (14), Dolphin 1:23.69 topped the 100m breaststroke with teammate Clodagh Martin in 3rd 1:28.36. Virag Szatmari, SWSC split the Dolphin duo 1:25.70. Malley followed that victory with victory at 50m butterfly 32.93 ahead of the SWSC duo Cara O’Farrell and Beatriz Carvalho. She placed 2nd at 100m freestyle with clubmate Roisin Brannigan in 3rd .

Brannigan was the victor in a very closely contested 400m IM 5:47.80 with Malley in 2nd 5:47.87. Brannigan added victory at 200m backstroke 2:40.68 with O’Farrell in 2nd and Aimee O’Herlihy, Blackrock in 3rd. O’Farrell got her chance to shine when she captured the 50m backstroke 35.90 ahead of teammate Amy Murphy 36.13.

Lexi Dunne (15) Dolphin, won the 50m butterfly 30.54 ahead of teammate Orna Higgins 31.90.

She added a second victory at 400m IM 5:25.43 ahead of teammate Aoibhe Moroney 5:47.63.

Higgins placed 2nd at 200m backstroke 2:37.08 ahead of Dunne in 3rd on 2:38.91. Dunne also placed 3rd at 50m backstroke 34.93. The event was won by Margaret Verling, Fermoy on 33.28 with Elin Manson, Dolphin in 2nd 33.95. Higgins won the 100m freestyle 1:03.71 ahead of Moroney 1:04.85. Manson added 2nd at 200m butterfly.

Shauna Murphy (16) Dolphin won 100m breaststroke 1:19.03 ahead of Victoria Roche, Mallow. She also won 50m backstroke 32.62. She had to settle for 2nd at 100m freestyle and 3rd at 50m butterfly.

Phelim Hanley (15) Blackrock had an extremely impressive victory at 200m butterfly 2:10.69 with 27 seconds to spare over his nearest rival Tadgh O’Brien, Dolphin 2:37.81. It was a closer affair at 400m freestyle with Hanley the victor 4:20.89 and O’Brien on 4:24.50. O’Brien claimed 3rd at 100m butterfly. The event was won by Thomas Bugler, SWSC on 1:01.79.

Bugler led an all-SWSC top three at 100m freestyle, 57.28 with Sean Semchiy 2nd on 59.42 and Liam O’Driscoll 3rd on 1:00.17. Bugler’s 3rd victory came at 200m IM 2:20.94. Semchiy claimed victory at 50m freestyle 26.79 ahead of Billy Anglim, Dolphin in 3rd on 28.28.

DOUBLE

David O’Leary (16) SWSC had two victories, they came at 200m breaststroke 2:47.32 and at 50m freestyle 26.18. The Dolphin boys were strong in the 17&Over category. Neddie Irwin topped the 100m backstroke 1:02.50 ahead of Noah Switzer on 1:03.03 and Ben Merrigan 3rd on 1:03.75. Ricky Fane topped the 200m breaststroke 2:32.29 ahead of Aidan McGrath 2:40.82 and Sasha Lychuk 2:42.86. Fane placed 2nd at 200m IM 2:19.80 ahead of Michael O’Driscoll, SWSC in 3rd on 2:19.95. Switzer placed 3rd at both the 100m freestyle 53.92 and at 50m freestyle 25.22. O’Driscoll placed third at 400m freestyle 4:27.05.

Daisy O’Toole (17) Mallow won the 400m IM 5:31.97 and placed 3rd at 200m backstroke 2:33.25. The 200m backstroke was won by Antonia Sech, SWSC on 2:20.90 with Heather Fane, Dolphin in 2nd on 2:29.95. Other top three finishes from Mallow include Maeve O’Reilly (13) who won the 50m backstroke 37.51. Lena Soja (13) placed third at 100m breaststroke and Gustav Damsca (16) placed 3rd at 400m freestyle.

Amy Hawe (17) Fermoy placed 2nd at 200m butterfly 2:40:79 the event was won by Heather Fane, Dolphin 2:34.36.

Garvan Gillard (14) Blackrock won 200m IM 2:36.14 ahead of Adam Mikolaj, Dolphin in 3rd on 2:46.06. He also placed 2nd at 400m freestyle 4:51.95 ahead of Cian Vaughan, Dolphin in 3rd on 4:56.02. Mikolaj won the 100m butterfly 1:17.32 ahead of Vaughan 2nd on 1:22.38.