Two new Irish Junior records set at EYOF

Two new Irish Junior records have been set at the European Youth Olympics Festival (EYOF) in Belgrade by Ireland’s Grainne Murphy (NPC-UL) in the 200m and 400m IM.

Murphy - who won Ireland’s first swimming medal in 14 years at the EYOF earlier in the week - narrowly missed out on medals by finishing fourth in both races in personal best times of 2.24.1 in the 200m and 4.59.7 in the 400m, shaving five seconds of her previous best in this event.

Team-mates Emily Heyburn (Ards-Down), Michael Dawson (Ards) and William Ensor (Westwood-CRC) have also been competing strongly at the EYOF.  Heyburn knocked two seconds off her previous personal best in the 200m Butterfly, qualifying for the finals in a time of 2:24.4.  Dawson finished 2nd in the B Final of the 100m BS in a personal best of 1:06.5 and William has made the B Final of the 100m BC with a time of 1:02.

In other swimming news, Thomas Yang (Coolmine SC) has taken two golds at the British Age Groups in Sheffield, winning the 100m FC in a time of 55.66 and the 100m Fly in 1:00.52. 

13-year-old Yang also won silver in the 200m FS in 2:01.2 and now qualifies for Irish Sports Council Junior carding, as does his team mate Donal Drought who came 7th in the 100m BC in 1:04.

Meanwhile, competition remains fierce at home at the Irish National Swimming Championships in Lisburn, which kicked off yesterday and continues until 28 July.

245 swimmers from 40 clubs are taking part in this meet, which is the main senior short course meet of the year and at which swimmers can qualify for the European Short Course in December.

Top swimmers include Kevin Stacey (NUIM), who will be representing Ireland at the World Student Championships in Bangkok in August and took the gold in the 1500m FS yesterday in a time of 15.57.67. 

Aisling Cooney (ESB SC) also got off to a great start by setting two new Irish Junior Records in the Girls 200m BC in 2:12.79, bettering the previous record of 2.15.29 by 2.50 seconds, and also in her leg of the 4 x 100m FS relay in a time of 57.43, breaking the previous record by .73.