Age Group Championships and Summer Open Kick off at the National Aquatic Centre

Swim Ireland's Irish Age Group Championships and Summer Open kicked off today at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin with over 800 swimmers competing over 4 days of competition. Ninety Six clubs including 14 International from Singapore, Cayman Islands, South Africa, Dubai, Oman, England and Scotland will be in action across the weekend.

Larne's Conor Ferguson (2:04.66) was the first Gold medallist of the Championship when he finished first in the boy's 200m Freestyle Final for boys age 13 and under, 13 year old Ferguson also won Gold in the 100m Backstroke(1:01.01). Tallaght and Swim Ireland NAC Performance Centre swimmer Antoinette Neamt cruised to victory in the girls equivalent event (12&under). Neamt (2:05.26) finished over 10 seconds ahead of Lize Mari De Beer (2:17.28) in second place. Neamt then doubled up for a second Gold in the 200m Butterfly Final in 2:26.46.

Back this week from the European Junior Swimming Championships in Poznan, Brian O'Sullivan was the winner in the 100m Backstroke Open event. O'Sullivan, who made the semi-final at Europeans in the same event last week, clocked 58.07 to take Gold. In the girls 12&U 100m Backstroke Final there was no separating Larne's Katie Baird and Glenalbyn's Amy Gorman when they finished in 1st position in the same time of 1:12.33.

Two more semi-finalists from European Juniors, Galway's David O'Sullivan and Bangor's Gemma Kane were Gold medallists in the 200m Butterfly Finals. O'Sullivan (2:05.19) touched just ahead of South Africa's Brendan Levy in 2:05.55, with Levy's teammate Dayne Odendaal in third, in the boys open event. Kane was swimming in the girl's 13-14 age-group coming home in 2:22.54 ahead of Lisburn's Alexandra Hunter (2:28.54).

Ards Swimming Club won the boy's 16 and over age-group 4x100m Freestyle Team Relay in a new Irish Junior Record of 3:30.20. The team of Curtis Coulter, Matthew Scott, Joel Kelly and Conor Munn, broke the previous record of 3:31.28 which Coulter, Kelly and Munn had set at Irish Nationals in April this year along with James Brown who is currently at the European Youth Olympic Festival.
England's Warrender Baths were the winners of the Boys 15 and under and the Girls 14 and under 4x100m Freestyle Team Relays, the boy's winning in 3:53.68 with the girl's finish time 4:07.71. Kilkenny touched home first in the girls 15 and over age group to take Gold in 4:04.17.
At the European Youth Olympic Festival in Utrecht, Holland this afternoon, Niamh Kilgallen was 9th overall in the semi-final of the 100m Breaststroke just missing out on the Final. Kilgallen, from Claremorris Swimming Club, took 1.5 seconds off her morning heat swim to finish in 1:13.69.

Emma Reid also posted a faster time in the semi-final of the 100m Butterfly, clocking 1:04.78 whilst Benjamin Doyle placed 16th overall following a swim of 1:00.45 in the 100m Backstroke. Tomorrow is the final day of swimming at the European Youth Olympic Festival with just two swimmers in action. James Brown will compete in the 200m Individual Medal heats and Rachel Bethel in the 200m Freestyle.