SWIMMING Murphy joins Hungary-bound Irish quartet

The final day of the National Long Course Swimming Championships concluded today at the National Aquatic Centre with eight National titles being awarded, as well as one Junior European Championship and one Senior European Championship qualifier. It was a short final session - but was not without excitement.

US-based Barry Murphy, swimming for Aer Lingus who arrived home in Dublin last Wednesday with the goal of making his qualifying time for this summer’s biggest European showdown, the European Championships (Budapest, August), will be flying back to the US next week a happy man. Murphy’s journey toward qualification started yesterday morning when he swam the heats of the 50m freestyle, in 24.23. His time from this afternoon’s semi-final was faster; 23.01, but still not quick enough to secure his ticket to Hungary. With one last chance to make it, the 24-year old Dubliner who has been training with the University of Tennessee for the past 4 years, blew us all away with a 22.67 swim – one hundredth of a second inside the qualifying standard he needed to secure.

Speaking after the race, Murphy said “It took me a while to get going today, it was hard switching from breaststroke to freestyle mode as I’ve been swimming a lot of breaststroke this weekend. I swam the semi without taking a breadth, but afterwards my coach Alan Turner advised me to take one breadth in the final, which I did at the 35m mark. I had a much better race, had wanted to go under 22.68 and I did it and I feel relieved.”

In other races today, British Olympian Hannah Miley had a busy afternoon in the pool, winning two events in the space of fifteen minutes, clocking impressive times of 2.15.45 (200m IM) and 2.32.82 (200m breaststroke). 15-year old Sycerika McMahon produced a very respectable time of 2.19.52 in the 200m IM final, swimming alongside Miley, who is one of the fastest IM swimmers in the world. McMahon claimed the top Irish spot in the event. 16 year-old Shani Stallard, from New Ross swimming club also completed the same double; first racing in the 200m IM final – where she clocked 2.21.63, a Junior European Championship qualifying standard. Then, two races later Stallard swam the 200m breaststroke, where she was the first Irish home in a time of 2.34.31 – also a Junior European Championship qualifying time.

Ireland now has four swimmers qualified for this summer’s European Championships; Barry Murphy, Clare Dawson, Nuala Murphy and Grainne Murphy. Andrew Bree, Ryan Harrison and Melanie Nocher will be hoping to qualify at their upcoming designated meets this month. The deadline for qualification is 31 May 2010.

Issued by Swim Ireland, whose High Performance Programme is supported and funded by the Irish Sports Council