Just three days after receiving his FINA clearance to swim for Ireland, Shane Ryan showed that he is a realistic medal prospect when he emerged from the heats on day one of the European Championships in London as the third fastest qualifier in the men's 100-metre backstroke.
The former US National squad member also set his first new Irish record of 54.21 seconds to easily make this evening's semi-finals in the event where the top eight will go on to contest tomorrow night’s final.
Ryan was joined in the last sixteen by 16-year-old Conor Ferguson, whose heat time of 55.06 seconds placed the Larne swimmer in 12th overall.
Ferguson admitted after his swim that making the final may be beyond him but that going under the Olympic qualifying time of 54.36 seconds was his priority this evening in London.
Ferguson was a mere six hundredths of a second shy of making the Olympic qualifying mark in the event at the recent National Open Meet at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin and is swimming just one event in London as he will return to Northern Ireland on Tuesday to complete his GCSE exams.
Nicholas Quinn, Dan Sweeney and Alex Murphy all failed to emerge from the heats of the 100m breaststroke heats.
Murphy, who swims with the UCD club, was just half a second off the Olympic qualification time earlier this year but his desire to make the Rio games was squashed after a disappointing swim in this morning’s heats when he registered a time of 62.15 seconds, a second and half outside the time required.
Quinn and Sweeney will go in their main event, the 200 breaststroke on Wednesday. Quinn has already qualified for Rio in the 200 and is confident of at least making the semi-finals in London this week in that event.
Brendan Hyland put in a fast 24.68 seconds swim in the 50m Butterfly heats on the opening day as he gears up for his main event, the 200 fly on Wednesday while Danielle Hill looked forlorn after a disappointing swim in the heats in the 200m Backstroke in a time that was well off her Irish junior record.
