Nocher and Murphy fail to hit standard

By John Kenny

Swim Ireland's High Performance Director Peter Banks had a stated aim of getting six Irish swimmers to the London Games but his hopes look to be fading fast another disappointing event.

Beijing Olympian Melanie Nocher became the latest to fail to go under the Olympic qualifying A standard at the Dutch National Swimming championships at the Pieter Van Den Hoogenband Complex in Eindhoven.

Nocher finished in the bronze medal position in the final of the Women's 200 metres backstroke, her favourite event, but her time of 2:12.02 seconds was 1.28 seconds shy of the A qualifying standard.

Grainne Murphy warmed up for her main event, the 800m Freestyle, by making the final of the Women’s 200 Individual Medley.

Murphy made the decider with a fifth place ranking of 2:16.30 and also finished fifth in the final in 2:15.82.

The teenager has shown little form however this season and had a poor world championships in Shanghai earlier this year.

She will find it tough to make the 800 freestyle time of 8.33.84 as her event is also heat-declared with only one swim in the event.

Sycerika McMahon showed she is still making foreword progression in the 100m Breaststroke, where she set an Irish Junior record in the heats (1:09.80) on her way to qualifying for the final.

She again lowered the record in the finale, finishing in sixth place in 1:09.24.

Andrew Bree and Fiona Doyle were in action in the US Winter Nationals, taking place in Atlanta, Georgia.

Both Bree and Doyle competed in the heats of the 100m Breaststroke, Bree finished in 1:03.68 while Doyle who made the C final recorded a time of 1:11.47.

Barry Murphy, who remains the only Irish swimmer to have made the A Olympic qualifying standard, in the Men’s 100 Breaststroke, withdrew from the event.