Two new Irish senior records were set by John Shortt and Jack Kelly on day two of the Irish Open Swimming Championships in Bangor, with Mona McSharry and Ellen Walsh taking gold in their respective events.
Shortt, the 2025 World Junior and European Short Course Champion, again lowered his own Irish record winning the men's 100 metres backstroke title in 53.17 seconds, having set a new mark of 53.37 at the Giant Open in Paris three weeks ago.
Kelly, the New York born 23-year-old who has now acquired an Irish passport, set his record in winning the men’s 50 metres breaststroke in a time of 26.26 seconds.
Kelly, who is representing the Terenure Club at the meet, still has the 100 and 200 metre breaststroke events to come.
"I’m Irish from my mom's side, from Cork, and I think it's a great opportunity for me to honour my heritage, he said after winning gold.
"A lot of people around the world that feel like they're connected to Ireland because of their ancestors and I feel because of my story, I'm able to do that now, so I'm really happy about that.
"And, you know, growing up, I always felt like, you know, Ireland felt home, even though, like, I was growing up in the States.
"I'm committed to Ireland now and (the Europeans) will be one of my first big international meets, so it'll get some, like, extra prep under my belt for the future and I'm hoping that as we kind of keep going, I (will) go to more and more bigger meets."
Olympic bronze medallist Mona McSharry (above) was impressive as she competed in her first event of the championships easing through in first place from the heats of the women’s 50 metres breaststroke in 30.36 seconds before winning the gold medal in 30.43 seconds.
The 25-year-old's time was also inside the qualification time for the Europeans.
Templeogue’s Ellen Walshe, cruised to victory in the opening event, the women’s 400 metres individual medley, winning in a time of 4.39.38 to add to her opening day win in the 200 metres butterfly. She also booked her place in the squad for Paris Europeans.
The men’s 400 individual medley title was won in impressive fashion by 22-year-old Liam Custer of the Sunday's Well club in Cork in 4.23.14, just point .57 of a second off Jack Cassin's Irish senior record set some three years ago.
Custer dropped a huge amount of time off his own personal best to make the squad for Paris.
Maria Godden beat the fastest qualifier Grace Davidson in the 100-backstroke final in 60.35 seconds while in the 50m butterfly finals, Rosalie Phelan took the women’s race (26.62 secs) and Bangor’s James Ward (24.17) won gold in the men’s equivalent.
