2025 European Junior Championships
- Tuesday, July 1 – Sunday, July 6
- X-bionic® sphere Pool, Šamorín, Slovakia
- LCM (50m)
- Start Times – Local: Prelims – 9:30 am / Finals – 6:00 pm
- Start Times – EST: Prelims – 3:30 am / Finals – 12:00 pm
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- Recaps:
The penultimate night of the 2025 European Junior Championships is in the midst of unfolding at the X-bionic® sphere Pool in Šamorín, Slovakia, and Ireland’s Grace Davison just claimed a new national record in the girls’ 100 freestyle final.
The final saw France’s Albane Cachot stake her claim on gold with a personal best time of 54.17, and she’ll soon head to Singapore to help the senior French women’s team on their 4×100 free relay at the World Championships in a few weeks’ time. She was pushed the whole way by Spain’s Maria Daza Garcia, who logged 54.39 for runner-up status, with Cachot taking it out harder in 26.04 to Daza Garcia’s 26.31, and ultimately holding on through the back half in 28.12 to Daza Garcia’s 28.08.
Behind them is where Davison was in a tight battle the whole way, and she ultimately touched ahead of two others who were able to break through the 55-second threshold. Davison placed her hand on the wall in 54.80, out-touching Theodora Taylor (54.84) of Team Great Britain as well as Denmark’s Martine Damborg (54.94).
Davison, 17, had the quickest back end of the trio that fought for the bronze medal, closing in 28.25 to Taylor’s 28.32 and Damborg’s 28.32, while she opened in 26.55 to Taylor’s 26.52 and Damborg’s 26.66.
Davison’s 54.80 overtook Danielle Hill‘s 54.87 national record set at the 2022 Irish Open Nationals. Davison clipped her previous best time of 55.09 from this same meet last year, where she clocked that effort in the semifinal before logging 55.11 in the final for bronze. When comparing those times to her performance tonight, she improved on both 50s, as in those swims she took it out in 26.64 both times, and closed in 28.45 and 28.47, respectively.
Earlier this week she was 10th in the 200 free (2:00.17) and 21st in the 50 free (26.12), and is seeded to swim in the 2nd semifinal out in lane 7 in tonight’s 200 IM, currently sitting 11th based on her prelim time of 2:18.47, with a chance to make it into the top eight and make tomorrow’s final with a time drop. Her best time in the 50 free is 25.88, while her 200 free clipped her 2:00.63 best, and 2:14.94 is her benchmark in the IM.
Davison was the youngest member of Team Ireland at the 2024 Paris Olympics and competed in the women’s 4×100 free relay alongside teammates Victoria Catterson, Danielle Hill, and Erin Riordan. The team finished 16th overall, recording a time of 3:42.67, close to the national record of 3:41.75, and she had the fastest split of the squad with 55.44.
She also swam the freestyle leg of the 4×100 medley relay that set a new national record of 4:00.12 en route to placing 11th, splitting 55.89 on the anchor. Hill (1:00.84), Mona McSharry (1:05.38), and Ellen Walshe (58.01) handled the first three legs.
Prior to the Olympics, Davison competed at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, securing gold in the 400 IM and silver in the 200 IM. She has consistently improved the Irish Junior 100 free record, lowering it to 55.44 seconds at the Irish trials in May 2024, before making her climb at last summer’s European Juniors and ultimately setting the new record today.
Davison trains with Ards Swimming Club. Her first exposure to high-level competition includes participating in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham at the age of 14, where she competed in five individual events and a relay.
Race Video:
New Irish record for Grace Davison to win bronze in the 100 free – 54.80
Albane Cachot wins gold – 54.17 pic.twitter.com/oSXjqyCqSo
— Paul Griffin (@PGriffinFC) July 5, 2025
She should go to Tennessee and follow the greats; Walsh and McSharry!
Walsh, who left and then got better!
*Walshe