2017 WUGs: Shane Ryan Becomes First Irishman Under 25 Sec In 50 Back

29TH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES (SUMMER UNIVERSIADE 2017)

• Sunday, August 20-Sunday, August 20, 2017
• 50-Meter Course
• Taipei, Taiwan
• National Taiwan Sport University Arena
• Meet Info
• Webcast schedule
• Results

After already knocking down one Irish national record as a member of his country’s 4x100m freestyle relay that finished 7th earlier in Taipei, former Penn State swimmer Shane Ryan earned a 4th place finish in the 100m back individual event, with his time of 54.35 missing out on the podium by just .22.

However, Ryan fired back in a big way today in Taipei, establishing a new national mark in the men’s 50m backstroke race. Clocking a solid AM swim of 25.12 to claim the 2nd seed out of prelims, Ryan produced a massive 24.97 in the evening to take the pole position headed into tomorrow night’s final. In the process, Ryan overtook the previous Irish national record of 25.09 he set himself back in 2016. With his 24.97 time from tonight in Taipei, the 23-year-old became the first Irishman to ever venture under 25 seconds in the 50 backstroke.

Ryan is within striking distance of the 24.63 WUGs record set by Japan’s Junya Koga back in 2009, but he’ll need to conquer USA’s Justin Ress, the men’s 100m backstroke winner, who is ready to earn another gold. Israel’s Jonatan Kopelev and Poland’s Tomasz Polewka are also in the hunt in the backstroke splash n’ dash set for tomorrow night.