Bronze for McMahon in Eindhoven

By John Kenny

Sycerika McMahon picked up Ireland’s third bronze medal of the meet, this time in the final of the women’s 50 metres breaststroke, a non-Olympic race in a time of 31.63 seconds.

On Saturday Grainne Murphy went under the Olympic A standard in the women’s 800m freestyle at the Dutch National swimming championships in Eindhoven and became the second Irish swimmer, along with Barry Murphy in the 100 breaststroke, to dip under the qualification standard.

Today the Wexford 18-year-old was classified fourth overall in the women’s 400 IM in a heat-declared event in 4 mins 44.61 at the Pieter Van Den Hoogenband complex.

Melanie Nocher finished seventh in the final of the women’s 100m backstroke in Eindhoven.

Nocher had already missed out on qualifying for London in her favourite event - the women’s 200 backstroke - and in today’s 100m final Nocher, who is not sprint specialist, was almost two seconds shy of the Olympic A qualifying standard in a time of 1:02.67

Ireland also had a squad in the fastest heat of the women’s 4x200m freestyle this afternoon of McMahon, Nocher, Bethany Carson and Claire Dawson

The quartet registering a time of 8.10.97, over three seconds outside the Irish senior record.

Last night in Atlanta, 2008 Beijing Olympian Andrew Bree finished fifth in the B final of the men’s 200 breaststroke at the US winter nationals in Altanta Georgia.

But his time of 2.15.62 was some way short of the A standard time for the event in which he was placed 12th overall in China four years ago.