Swim Ireland 2009

High Performance Swimming Update

Following a very successful summer of Irish swimming performances, which saw Irish records being broken left, right and centre, Irish swimmers have continued to excel in the pool since the beginning of the '09 /10 Aquatics Season.

Several of Ireland's top swimmers competed Internationally in November; in Berlin, Donal O'Neill lowered two Irish Senior Records at the fiercely competitive FINA Arena Swimming SC World Cup meet. O'Neill, of Trojan Swim Club, is based out of the newly established National Aquatic High Performance Centre, Dublin and recorded times of 25.02 in the 50m backstroke and 53.43 in the 100m backstroke. Niamh O'Sullivan of Kingdom Swim Club/Limerick High Performance Centre, also broke an Irish Senior Record at the same competition, finishing in 11th place in the 800m Freestyle (8:38.02).

Meanwhile, swimming at the British University & Colleges Sport Championships in the UK were Clare Dawson of Bangor Swim Club (representing Stirling University) and Michael Dawson of Ards Swim Club (swimming for Loughborough University). Dawson set a new Irish Senior Record in a time of 1:57.58, finishing first in the final of the 200m Freestyle. She also won gold in the 100m freestyle (55.10). Michael Dawson broke the Irish Junior Record and finished in 6th place in the 50m breaststroke final in a time of 28.99, (a standard which previously stood since Barry Murphy swam 29.11 in 2004).

Meanwhile back at home, the Irish SC National Swimming Championships took place at the National Aquatic Centre (NAC), from 19th - 22nd November. Highlights of the weekend included Irish Olympian Aisling Cooney of ESB swimming club becoming the first Irish woman ever to break the 60 second barrier for 100m backstroke (59.89) and Leander's Sycerika McMahon displaying fantastic form over the 4 days of competition, breaking an outstanding 1 Irish Senior Record and 10 Irish Junior Records. In line with FINA rules and subject to ratification by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, Eoin Nolan of Aer
Lingus SC set a new Deaf World Record in the men's 100m freestlye event (51.43). Nolan won silver (100m Freestyle) and bronze (200m Freestyle) at the World Deaflympics Games in Taipei in September 2009.

The Irish squad who will depart for Istanbul next week to compete at the 2009 European Short Course (SC) Swimming Championships in Istanbul are making their final preparations ahead of the four-day competition which runs from 10th - 13th December. The full team line-up is: Aisling Cooney, Grainne Murphy, Melanie Nocher, Nuala Murphy, Niamh O'Sullivan, Clare Dawson, Donal O'Neill, Conor Leaney, Steven McQuillan and Michael Dawson. The team will be led by head coach Peter Banks, assistant coach Ronald Claes, team managers Bettie Beattie and Michael Denihan and physiotherapist Sarah-Jane McDonnell.

National Aquatic High Performance Centre (NAC-HPC) Update

The NAC-HPC, led by full-time swimming coach Paul Donovan, in conjunction with the National Performance Director Peter Banks, has been up and running since 1st September 2009. A total of twenty swimmers currently participate across several training programmes on a weekly basis. In addition to those swimmers who have chosen to move their training to the HPC on a full-time basis, the centre also operates several part-time programmes for younger swimmers who are not ready for the full-time level of commitment at this stage in their development.

Saturday morning sees all groups of swimmers come together for one final pool training session of the week, followed up by a clinic with one of the service providers. Service providers cover a range of areas including: strength & conditioning, nutrition, mental training and physiotherapy.

There is also an opportunity for swimmers who are based outside of Dublin to access the NAC-HPC on a part-time basis. Swimmers/coaches who are interested in seeking further information should contact Paul Donovan, Swim Ireland NAC-HPC coach at: coachnac@swimireland.ie.

Young Sportstar of the Year Award Goes to Grainne Murphy

Young swimming talent Grلinne Murphy has been chosen winner of the 2009 Texaco Young Sportstar of the Year award and was presented with the accolade at a dinner reception in the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin last month.

The sixteen-year old Limerick High Performance-based swimmer becomes only the second young athlete in Ireland to have won a Texaco Young Sportstar of the Year award; last year, the inaugural award went to identical twin golfers Leona and Lisa Maguire from Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan. Introduced as part of the annual Texaco Sportstars Awards programme, the Young Sportstar Award is aimed at a younger generation of sports stars aged 18-years and under - its purpose being to recognise and applaud success on the part of young people and to encourage them in their efforts to become sport stars of the future.

Grainne won the award, based on her outstanding performances this summer at the European Junior Swimming Championships in Prague (June), where she set new Junior and Senior Irish records in the 800m & 1500m freestyle and 200m & 400m individual medley. During the month of June Grainne established a total of 2 European Junior Records, 4 Irish Senior Records and 10 Irish Junior Records, as well as claiming 3 gold and 1 bronze European Junior Championship medals.

Congratulations to Grainne and her family, we wish Grainne every success in achieving her goals during the remainder of this year and beyond.