Ireland to send its largest ever swimming squad to the Paris Olympics

Ireland will send its largest ever swim team to the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. 

This is an historic moment for the nation’s swimming programme. 

World Champion, Daniel Wiffen will lead a team of six individual Olympians, Ellen Walshe, Danielle Hill, Mona McSharry, Shane Ryan and Tom Fannon. 

Daniel and the three girls will compete at their second games, while it will be the third such occasion for Ryan. 

Ireland will also send three relay teams, Women’s 400m Freestyle and Medley and Men’s 400m Medley. 

This expanded delegation underscores Ireland’s burgeoning strength and ambition in the sport, aiming not only for individual successes with semi-final and final swims, but also a real possibility of medal success. 

The strength of the respective relays will also establish a formidable presence at the games.

Daniel Wiffen has emerged as one of Ireland’s most promising young swimmers. Specializing in long-distance freestyle, he is the current World Champion at both 800m and 1,500m. 

He is also the World Record holder over short course at 800m. 

Wiffen has consistently improved his performance since his first major international success, when he won silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2022. 

He also won gold at the inaugural U23 European Championships before an ecstatic home crowd. 

His qualification for a second Olympics is testament to his dedication and potential. 

He is one of Ireland’s brightest prospects for medal success at the games. 

When he completes his programme in the pool Daniel will also swim the 10k Open Water event along the River Seine.

Ellen Walshe is a versatile swimmer who excels in the Individual Medley and Butterfly events.

Her ability to compete at a high level across a multiple of strokes, makes her a critical asset to the team. 

Walshe will be heading to her second games and was the first of the six Irish swimmers to qualify for Paris when she obliterated her own Irish Senior Record on the first day of the World Championships in Fukoku 2023. 

Her time 2:10.92 was well inside the Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) 2:11.47 for 200m IM. Walshe swam an OQT at 400m IM 4:39.94 in the Leinster Championships at the beginning of May, but as it was not a qualifying meet, she needed to repeat the time at the Irish Open and Olympic Trials later that month. 

Walshe repeated the OQT in her morning swim on the final day of the Trials 4:38.05 (OQT 4:38.53).

She returned to contest the final later that evening, to the delight of the home crowd. 

Walshe travelled to Rome for the Setti Colli meet as part of her Olympic training schedule. She had a blistering swim in the final of 400m IM stopping the clock on 4:37.18 to reset her own Irish Senior Record. Walshe swam 200m IM and 100m Butterfly at the Tokyo games. 

She missed the OQT for 100m Butterfly by just 0.15 seconds but has an Olympic Consideration Time (OCT) and so will be eligible to swim that event also.

Danielle Hill, known for her strength in Freestyle and Backstroke, is another key member of the Irish team. 

Hill competed in the 100m Backstroke at the Tokyo games, but will travel to Paris for two swims having achieved the OQT in both 100m Backstroke and 50m Freestyle.

Hill’s speed and technique, particularly her underwater work, will be crucial for her success in Paris. 

Her experience and determination will play a pivotal role in her Olympic campaign, aiming to make it to the finals. She enjoyed success at the recent European Championships when she became the first Irish woman to win gold at a European event. 

That came at 50m backstroke, and although not an Olympic event, it was the forerunner to a silver medal performance 1:00.19, on the following evening in her Olympic event, 100m backstroke. 

The double medal success at the European Championships will leave Hill in great stead as she continues her preparation for Paris.

Mona McSharry has been a standout performer for Ireland in Breaststroke events for a number of years. 

A finalist at 100m Breaststroke in the Tokyo games, McSharry will be hoping to go one better in Paris. 

McSharry swam a blistering 1:05.55 in the heats at World Championships, Fukoka to secure her OQT. Her remarkable achievements include setting multiple Irish Senior Records across all three distances in Breaststroke. 

She was the European Junior champion at just 16 years and one year later was crowned the World Junior champion. 

The Tennessee based swimmer was in action at the Mel Zajac International meet in Vancouver last month. 

She clocked 2:22.49 to win the 200m breaststroke final, a full two seconds quicker than her previous National Record 2:24.50 and inside the OQT 2:23.91. Her sights are firmly set on improving her Tokyo performance with a podium finish in Paris.

Shane Ryan became the fastest ever Irish male when he stormed to an OQT 21.82 in the heats of 50m freestyle at the European Championships. He comfortably progressed through the semi finals with 21.96 as 4th seed. 

A time of 22.17 in the final yielded an 8th place finish. Had he produced his heat swim again in the final he would have been rewarded with bronze. The swim ensured Ryan a place on the team and he will anchor the men’s 400m medley relay.

Tom Fannon is a recent addition to the Irish team. He brings expertise in sprint freestyle. 

His speed and explosive power in the 50m freestyle make him a vital member of the team. 

Fannon achieved his OQT in his semi-final swim at the Irish Trials 21.94 (OQT 21.96). 

A true team player, he returned for the final that evening in an effort to help Irish teammate Calum Bain over the line. 

Unfortunately, it was not to be with Bain touching on 22.06, which is an OCT.

Ireland's strategic emphasis on relay teams highlights the depth and collaborative spirit of their swim squad. 

The women secured two relay places at both 400m medley and 400m freestyle.

The medley team will comprise Danielle Hill, Mona McSharry, Ellen Walshe and the fastest of the four ladies from the Freestyle relay from day one. The freestyle relay will comprise Danielle Hill, Victoria Catterson, Grace Davison and Erin Riordan.

The men’s 400m medley relay team will be Conor Ferguson, Darragh Greene, Max McCuster and Shane Ryan