2021 SWIM IRELAND PERFORMANCE MEET
- Thursday, June 24th – Saturday, June 26th
- National Aquatic Centre, Dublin, Ireland
- LCM (50m)
- Last-Chance Olympic Qualification Opportunity for Select Athletes
- Results: Meet Mobile
Just a handful of top Irish swimmers are competing in Dublin this week for a last-chance Olympic qualifying opportunity.
Only the 10 athletes who have come within 1.5% of a FINA ‘A’ cut from April’s Irish Olympic Trials have been invited to compete at this Performance Meet, which drilled the competitors down to Jack McMillan, Niamh Coyne, Nicholas Quinn, Eoin Corby, Danielle Hill, Brendan Hyland, Calum Bain, Conor Ferguson, Jordan Sloan and Finn McGeever.
Making the most of this final racing opportunity was backstroking ace Hill. The 22-year-old Larne swimmer busted out the fastest swim of her career in the 100m distance, producing a time of 1:00.18 tonight. This not only erased her own previous 1back national record of 1:00.34 set at the aforementioned Olympic Trials but it also now checks in as a Tokyo-worthy time.
Opening in 28.79 and closing in 31.39, Hill’s 1:00.18 time dips under the FINA ‘A’ cut of 1:00.25 needed to qualify for next month’s Olympic Games.
In her post-race interview, Hill said through tear-filled eyes, “I am so relieved, so happy. That was for my teammates in Larne. They’ve had the toughest year.”
Hill’s name now gets added to the roster of Irish athletes for Tokyo, which is now as follows with this meet still in progress.
· Shane Ryan – 100m Backstroke
· Darragh Greene – 100m Breaststroke/200m Breaststroke
· Mona McSharry – 100m Breaststroke
· Daniel Wiffen – 800m Freestyle
I was at a major competition over 20 years ago and our swimmer finished 6th in a heat just ahead of the Icelandic swimmer. And the Icelandic spectator said “we did well…we didnt drown”. So at least we are doing a heck of lot better.
As we improve I think the policy of FINA “A” times actually makes us better.
Ellen Walshe has qualified tonight in the IM, so she joins Danielle on the plane to Tokyo.
Six (so far) individuals is pretty good and probably the four guys in the Freestyle relay wont include Shane Ryan, Darragh Greene and Daniel Wiffen and Jack McMillan will likely be one of them, not as good as qualifying as… Read more »
Apparently, there is an Article saying on RTE that Ellen won’t be nominated because she wasn’t within 1.5 seconds of the consideration time entering the meet. If that is the case then that is utterly ridiculous, you’ve got swimmers like Callum Bain swimming time trial after time trial, but god forbid you send the person who actually qualified to the games.
I think she will go. She has qualified and it would be ridiculous if she didnt go.
Swim Ireland and the Olympic Fderation of Ireland would have the interests of the athletes themselves at heart and clearly it is in Ellens interests to go.
Swim Ireland will nominate her. OFI will ratify.
Although the meet was specially arranged, with 10 athletes in mind (1.5% of times) it was a complete programme and no point in putting on a200IM if nobody could qualify from it.
Likewise the other swimmers in any of the races…..pointless for them to compete if their sole role was just as an incentive to the chosen ten.
Imagine the controversy if two… Read more »
I think they will select her, looking at their later response. I’m amazed that Rudd didn’t lob in a discretionary clause to get around awkward situations like this.
On a broader note, this will be the biggest team that Ireland has ever sent to an Olympics. Most outlets report over 100 at the moment but I have 113 on my list with around 10 more known to be selected and a few more to be added (swimming) …athletics, golf will be finalised in a few days. It is in the interests of the OFI to get as many to the Games as there is a lot of government funding involved.
Swim Ireland have stated that the matter is “under consideration” but whats to consider.
They got themselves a surprise qualifier and wondering is it a good thing.
The federations put recommendations to OFI who ratify…….or… Read more »
Do we know what Ireland’s policy is on NOC invitations? Because surely McMillan would be one of the first on the list.
Their policy is FINA A which is hilarious for a country who bar this year seems to have maxed out at 4 swimmers. I don’t understand why they can’t send a bigger team, like McMilan, Corby, Ellen walshe in the 2im are close and Irelandjust isn’t good enough to start into this oh we will only send you if your gonna be competitive craic. They were happy enough to send everyone and their child to Europeans and have them all come in the bottom 5 so the wanting to be perceived as competitive argument doesn’t stand. Just mental
That seems absolutely insane and unfair considering McMillan and Walsh would be all but guaranteed an invitation (I still have hopes for Corby in the 200 breaststroke tomorrow).
Corby .06 out, McMilan out by less than half a second again, surely give them another go