Walshe, Wiffen and Shortt Lead Monday Qualifiers at Irish Open
World Aquatics Championships qualifiers Ellen Walshe, Daniel Wiffen and John Shortt featured on Monday morning as the Irish Open Championships reached the half-way stage at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre.
Walshe, swimming the 100m Butterfly, secured a third qualification time for the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in July clocking 58.14 to take the top seed for Monday’s Semi-Finals. Walshe had already secured qualification in the 200m Individual Medley and 200m Butterfly on Saturday. National Centre Limerick’s Lucy O’Brien hit the consideration time for the European Aquatics Junior Championships in the event and advances fourth overall in 1:02.43.
Following his 800m Freestyle win on Sunday, Olympic Champion Daniel Wiffen leads the qualifiers for the Open 400m Freestyle Final. Wiffen (3:56.26) and National Centre Limerick’s Cormac Rynn (3:58.86) were the only swimmers under four minutes and will take the centre lanes for Monday evening’s Final. In fourth place, Tadgh O’Brien (National Centre Limerick) was under the European Aquatics Junior Championships time of 4:07.62 in 4:06.58.
Paris Olympian Victoria Catterson was swiftest in the Female 400m Freestyle heats clocking 4:20.05 ahead of Germany’s Sophie Lenze (4:23.25) and 1500m Freestyle National Champion Clare Custer (4:24.15) of Sundays Well.
John Shortt continued his good form and progresses to Monday evening’s 200m Backstroke semi-final as top seed and the only swimmer under the two-minute mark in 1:58.67. Already qualified for the World Aquatics Championships in the 100m Backstroke, the 18-year-old will look to add the 200m to his qualification with a time of 1:58.07. Shortt is the Irish Record holder in the event in 1:57.68.
Shortt’s National Centre Limerick team-mate Maria Godden was the fastest Irish swimmer in the women’s version of the event. Godden clocked 2:17.16 just behind Gabriela Georgieva in 2:16.36. In fourth overall Aer Lingus’ Julia Dziedzic achieved a consideration time for the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2:20.13.
In the 200m Individual Medley, National Centre Ulster’s Adam Colgan leads the Irish qualifiers for semi-finals in 2:08.89. Germany’s Tobia Van Aggelen will be the top seed in 2:08.74.
Monday evening will feature finals in the Open 50m Freestyle, Open and Female 100m Breaststroke, Open 100m Butterfly, Open and Female 400m Freestyle and Semi-Finals in the Open and Female 200m Backstroke, Female 100m Butterfly and Open 200m IM.
International Swimming Events Summer 2025
2025 World Aquatics Championships in Kallang, Singapore, 27th July – 3rd August
Qualification Time Achieved: Ellen Walshe (100m, 200m Butterfly, 200m, 400m IM), Danielle Hill (100m Backstroke), John Shortt (100m Backstroke), Tom Fannon (50m Freestyle), Daniel Wiffen (800m, 1500m Freestyle)
*Mona McSharry (100m, 200m Breaststroke), *Shane Ryan (50m Freestyle)
*Swimmers have achieved qualification in 2024 and will need to compete in the same individual event/s at the 2025 Irish Open Championships to assure the National Performance Director of competitive readiness and achieve the Consideration Time detailed in Table 2 here.
2025 Para Swimming Championships in Kallang, Singapore, 21st – 27th September
Qualification Time Achieved: Róisín NíRiain, Barry McClements, Dearbhaile Brady, Deaten Registe, Síomha Brady
2025 World University Games in Berlin, Germany, 17th – 23rd July
Consideration Time Achieved: Ellie McCartney (100m Breaststroke, 200m IM), Evan Bailey (200m Freestyle), Lottie Cullen (100m Backstroke)
2025 European Aquatics U23 Championships in Samorin, Slovakia, 26th – 28th June
Consideration Time Achieved: Lottie Cullen (100m Backstroke), Ellie McCartney (100m Breaststroke, 200m IM), Cormac Rynn (200m Freestyle), Evan Bailey (200m Freestyle), Maria Godden (100m Backstroke), Jack Cassin (200m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly), Oisin Tebite (50m Freestyle), Eoin Corby (100m Breaststroke)
2025 European Junior Aquatics Championships in Samorin, Slovakia, 1st – 6th July
Consideration Time Achieved: John Shortt (100m Backstroke, 200m Backstroke), Grace Davison (100m Freestyle,200m IM), Clare Custer (1500m Freestyle), Adam Bradley (100m Breaststroke), Matthew Hamilton (50m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly), Niamh Connery (100m Breaststroke), Thomas Bugler (100m Butterfly), Phelim Hanley (100m Butterfly), Tadhg O’Brien (400m Freestyle), Lucy O’Brien (100m Butterfly)
2025 European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje, Macedonia, 20th – 26th July
Consideration Time Achieved: Shea Mathers (100m Butterfly), Julia Dziedzic (200m Backstroke)
2025 World Aquatics Junior Championships in Otopeni, Romania, 19th – 24th August
Qualification for this event will take place at the European Junior Championships in July.
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