Other Sport
Irish titles for Galway swimmers
Two 16-year-old Galway swimmers enhanced their growing reputations when claiming their first national senior titles at the Irish Long Course Championships at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin over the weekend.
Bryan O’Sullivan set a new Connacht junior and senior record in the 200m backstroke in a personal best time of 2.09.82 on Saturday before Kate Kavanagh won gold in the 50m backstroke event the following day.
In the men’s 200m backstroke, O’Sullivan, who trains at Swim Ireland’s Connacht Performance Centre in Galway, was third behind Danas Rapsys (2:02.22) and Eimantas Milius (2:06.01), both of Lithuania, but O’Sullivan claimed gold and the national title as the first Irish swimmer home.
For her part, teenager Kavanagh won her decider in a time of 30.57, ahead of second placed Tara Dunne of Ballina Dolphins (30.78) and third-placed Sinead Mylett of Castlebar (31.55). Both O’Sullivan and Kavanagh set new Connacht junior and senior records.
Other excellent podium results were achieved by NUI Galway engineering student, Cian Duffy who won silver in the men’s 200m Butterfly, while Andrew Moore picked up bronze in the men’s 200m Breaststroke. Moore will join O’Sullivan to represent Ireland in Montreal in July.
Other record–breaking performances at the meet came from Keena Walsh, who broke a Connacht senior record in the woman’s 400 Individual Medley final; David O’Sullivan set new Connacht junior and senior records in the semi-finals of the men’s 100m Butterfly; and Sarah Jane Fox set a new Connacht junior and senior records in the woman’s 50m Butterfly final.