skip to main content

Largest-ever Irish team chosen for European Aquatics Championships

Daniel Wiffen of Ireland before the Men's 800m Freestyle final during day five of the European Short Course Swimming Championships at Lublin in Poland.
Daniel Wiffen is hoping to add more medals

Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen will spearhead Ireland's largest-ever European Aquatics Championships team in Paris in August.

A total of 26 swimmers and one diver have been chosen.

Danielle Hill heads to Paris as the defending 50m backstroke champion, following her gold medal performance in Belgrade in 2024, while recent European short course champions Wiffen, Ellen Walshe and John Shortt will look to carry their 25m success on to the long course stage. Mona McSharry will also be targeting her first medal at the championships.

The squad features a strong blend of proven performers and emerging talent, with Evan Bailey, Ellie McCartney, Eoin Corby and Grace Davison all earning selection.

Jack Kelly, fresh from a dominant Irish Open Championships where he secured all three breaststroke titles, is set to make his debut on the European stage.

Olympians Darragh Greene, Conor Ferguson and Victoria Catterson also return to international competition, pulling on the green Ireland jacket for the first time since the Paris Olympic Games.

Adam Bradley, Alana Burns-Atkin, Cormac Rynn, Denis O’Brien, Jack Cassin, Danielle Farrell, Liam Custer, Lottie Cullen, Matthew Hamilton, Nathan Wiffen and Rosalie Phelan all bring international experience, while Jacob Armon is set to make his Ireland debut.

Nathan Wiffen has also opted to contest the open water event, which will take place in the River Seine prior to the pool programme – the same venue where his brother Daniel became Ireland’s first Olympic open water swimmer in 2024.

The Wiffen brothers are both moving from their California base to the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin.

The Olympic champion indicated that the switch was imminent if he wasn't happy with his times at the Irish Open Championships.

Speaking after his final race in Bangor, Wiffen told RTÉ Sport: "I'm just going to talk to a lot of different people.

"We'll talk to Andy Reid to see if they have their opinion as to what I should do and then basically go back to the drawing board, rewrite the season and come away with gold medals in the summer.

"It’s time to refocus and on to the Europeans now, and I can't wait."

Meanwhile, in diving, Jake Passmore will be Ireland’s sole representative.

Swim Ireland national performance director Andy Reid said: "To bring an Irish team of this size and quality to the European Aquatics Championships is a significant moment for our programme.

"We have Olympic and European champions leading the way, athletes looking to convert short course success onto the long course stage, and a strong group of emerging performers gaining valuable championship experience. That blend is critical as we continue building towards LA 2028.

"For this championships, we incorporated under-23 standards within our senior selection policy, ensuring we capture athletes transitioning from junior to senior level and support their progression more effectively.

"Equally important is the strength of our junior pathway. While teams are smaller this year, we are encouraged by the depth building in our younger cohorts, reflecting the excellent work being done across our clubs."

Read Next