Youth and Senior Championships comes to a close in Dublin

As the Irish Olympians got action underway in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, the 2024 Irish Youth and Senior National Championships came to a close in the Dublin this evening, after five days of action-packed racing.

Dolphin topped the podium in the Men’s 400m Medley Relay to win the relay gold after their team quartet, Neddie Irwin, Senan Harvey, Jack Cassin and Charlie Cassidy clocked a combined 3:54.89. Lisburn stopped the clock next (4:00.28) in second with Ards finishing just behind in third (400:32).

Another Cork club topped the podium, this time Sundays Well in the Women’s 400m Medley Relay. Antonina Sech, Isabel Kidney, Izzy McGrath and Eva Harrington went a combined 4:23.94 to bag gold. Limerick went 4:29.86 in second with bronze going Trojan (4:31.35).

The Women’s 800m Freestyle 15yrs national gold went to Kilkenny’s Abby Cunningham in a time of 9:37.12. Aislinn Healy of Templeogue stopped the clock next (9:48.01) in second with third going to Hannah Lynch (9:56.96) of Enniskillen. The 16yrs race was a closely fought affair with a Templeogue one-two, Holly McInerney pulled away to win the national gold in 9:21.63, McInerney’s teammate Ava Rock was next home (9:24.18), bronze went to Eva Hand (9:26.78) of Bangor.

Kilkenny’s Nessa Godden was back on the podium, this time to pick up the 17yrs gold in 9:28.75. Slaney Sharks swimmer Katie Prunty was next to stop the clock (9:41.97), Amelie Ryan (Templeogue) bagged bronze in 9:47.76.

Maria Godden, older sister of Nessa Godden, was first home in the 18yrs+ race in a time of 9:11.95 to claim the national title. Rebekah Friel (Trojan) was next to stop the clock in 9:18.06 with bronze going to Jessika Robson (Lisburn).

The Women’s 100m Backstroke was the first event of the final evening of racing. Very little separated the top three finishers in the 15yrs race. Templeogue’s Chloe Dawnay got her hand on the wall first to claim the gold medal (1:07.14). National Centre Limerick’s Lucy O’Brien finished just behind (1:07.29) in second with bronze going to Caoilinn O’Connor of Sundays Well (1:07.49). The 16yrs gold went to Limerick’s Aoibh Collins following her time of 1:07.67, Trojan swimmer Ashling McCarthy (Trojan) was next home in 1:07.80, with bronze going to Mia Mulholland (Banbridge) in 1:08.62.

Katie Kelly (Shark) was first home in the 17yrs race in a time of 1:05.76 to win the national title. Next home was Athlone swimmer Leah Connell (1:06.04), with bronze going to Maeve McClean (1:06.40) of City of Derry. National Centre Limerick’s Maria Godden bagged her second national title of the day, clocking 1:03.20 in the 18yrs+ race. UCD’s Jena Macdougald was next home in 1:03.46, third and bronze went to Leagh Bailey (1:05.83) of New Ross.

Dolphin man Tadgh O’Brien topped the podium in the 15yrs Men’s 100m Backstroke race with a time of 1:01.17. Levi Stafford of Aer Lingus was next to stop the clock (1:02.67) in second with bronze going to John Rada (1:03.11) of Banbridge. Rudi Lacy (ESB) was first home in the 16yrs to win the national title in a time of 1:00.74, Kilkenny man Paddy Cuddihy went 1:01.67 in second, while bronze went to Aer Lingus’ Jonas Kazlauskas (1:02.07).

The 17yrs national gold did not have far to travel as NAC swimmer Fionn Byrne posted 59.30 to finish top of the podium. Artem Chobot of Titan was next to stop the clock (59.85) in second with bronze going to Eoghan Rynn (59.51) of Trident. The 18yrs national title went to New Ross man Emmet Cousins, who was the only swimmer to dip under the 1-minute mark (59.48). Sean Harvey of Dolphin was next home in 1:01.02, bronze went to Harvey’s teammate Ben Merrigan (1:01.41).

Brandon Biss (Swim Belfast) got his hand on the wall first to win the 19yrs+ national title in 57.65. Neddie Irwin of National Centre Limerick was home in 58.94 to bag silver while Senan Noonan (Aer Lingus) pocketed bronze in a time of 1:00.26.

There was a Banbridge one-two in the 15yrs Women’s 400m IM with the national gold going to Georgina Walker in a time of 5:18.78, teammate Samanatha Burns-Atkin was next home in 5:25.36 to bag silver, while bronze went to Chloe Dawnay (Templeogue) in 5:25.15. Niamh Connery (Sharks) topped the podium in the 16yrs race with a time of 5:08.77. Emilee Edgar went 5:31.29 to bag the national silver, bronze went to New Ross’ Lili Markey (5:25.57).

New Ross bagged a one-two in the 17yrs race with Eva Bayley topping the podium (5:09.19), Laura Csarodai-Nagy was next home in 5:24.31, while bronze went to Lurgan’s Alisia Dempsey (5:27.72). Megan Jones of Portmarnock won the national title in the 18yrs+ in a time of 5:12.01, silver went to Lisburn’s Toni Jamison (5:16.07), bronze to Michelle O’Shea (5:28.42) of Dolphin.

Dylan Registe of Lisburn topped the podium in the Men’s 50m Butterfly to win the national title in a time of 24.94. His Lisburn teammate Matthew Hamilton was next to get his hand on the wall in 25.01 with bronze going to Charlie Eatwell (25.15) of Ards.

National Centre Limerick’s Lucy O’Brien topped the podium in the Women’s 50m Butterfly in a time of 28-seconds flat. Izzy McGrath of Sundays Well got her hand on the wall next (28.32) with bronze going to Jena Macdougald of UCD (28.41).

Terenure man Liam O’Connor went 28.71 to win the Men’s 50m Breaststroke national title, finishing just behind him was National Centre Dublin’s Eoin Corby (28.79) with bronze going to Zach Moyo of Swim Belfast (28.90).

The final event of the competition was the Women’s 50m Breaststroke with Ava Jones of Portmarnock going 32.24 to bag the national gold. Sundays Well Isabel Kidney went 33.00 to bag the silver with bronze going to Ellie Campbell of Trojan in 33.44.

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