Walshe Secures Medley Final Spot, Ryan Advances to Freestyle Semi-Final in Irish Record

Irish swimmers had another productive morning in Budapest at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (SC) with Ellen Walshe advancing to her third Final of the week, while Friday’s bronze medal winner in the 50m Backstroke Shane Ryan, set a new Irish standard in the 50m Freestyle heats to progress to the Semi-Finals.

Walshe, who has set eight new Irish Records so far this week, will double up on Saturday evening as she competes in both the 100m Butterfly and 400m Individual Medley Finals. The Templeogue swimmer qualified for the 100m Butterfly Final on Friday as the third fastest qualifier and was back on the blocks Saturday morning where she was third in her heat of the 400m Individual Medley in 4:29.78 to secure a place in the Final as fifth seed. The 23-year-old is a silver medallist in the 400m Individual Medley from the 2021 edition of the event.

Speaking after her race Walshe said ‘I think this morning was just to be comfortable to get back, I’ve been in this Final before, It’s exciting. I think the two Finals is going to be tough tonight so whatever I have left is whatever I have left. I’m hurting now and I think to finish on a 400m IM is pretty tough, it felt tough this morning, but I know after doing it once this morning that it will be the last race tonight. It’s been a great meet and it’s been exciting.’

Walshe will have an hour between Finals with the 100m Butterfly Final at 16.32 (IRL) and 400m Individual Medley Final at 17.30 (IRL).

Having won Ireland’s fourth ever World Aquatics short course medal and his first World medal in six years on Friday night, Shane Ryan returned for the 50m Freestyle heats where he set a new Irish Record of 21.07, making him Ireland’s fastest ever swimmer in the short course pool. The National Centre Dublin swimmer broke Tom Fannon’s Irish Record of 21.21 from 2023.

Ryan was sixth in his heat and advances in fourteenth overall having swum next to a new World Record in the event from Cayman Island’s Jordan Crooks in 20.08.

Commenting after the race Ryan said ‘I didn’t feel great at all this morning, but it’s a PB, but I know what I’m capable of, I can be a bit faster on that and yeah just go back, warm down, have a bit of fun tonight. A PB, a National Record, we move forward.’

He added ‘I’m a big believer in trying to you know, not sack it off and you have to earn your spot, and you have to give it 100% no matter how your body is feeling and try to represent the country the best you can and that’s what I did this morning. Despite yesterday, you have to put your head back in place, stay in your lane and try to go fast.’

Tom Fannon, also competing in the 50m Freestyle, was just off his best time, the previous Irish Record of 21.21, clocking 21.25 for seventeenth overall and just outside the semi-finals; he’ll be first reserve.

 Fannon, a team-mate of Ryan at National Centre Dublin spoke after the race ‘It’s ok, coming off the back of the Olympics, the game plan coming into this wasn’t necessarily to fully taper, so to try and expect a PB with a rest but not a full taper is difficult, also short course, I always feel good swimming, then there’s a turn and it just stops my momentum, so I’m happy with it, hopefully someone pulls out and I get to swim it again.’

 In the Women’s 50m Freestyle, Danielle Hill closed out her Championships with a time of 24.35, outside her Irish Record of 24.00. Hill will be second reserve for this evening’s semi-finals.

Speaking after her final race Hill said ‘It’s been a lot of learning, a lot of near misses but you know I’ve been through this exact process I don’t know how many times and I’m in a much better place mentally, so you know it’s just about going back and doing more work, I think that’s the harsh reality of it all, I haven’t done enough work and that’s absolutely fine.’

She added ‘You know the priority this year is actually not swimming. I went back to university and I’m studying a Masters which is quite full on, you know I just sat an exam yesterday morning, from the outside looking in no one sees that, so it’s been tough over the last six months trying to manage going back to school again. But listen, I’m happy, I love where I’m at in my swimming, I’m enjoying it, and I think that’s the main priority moving forward but most definitely can look forward to building into long course season.’

In the Men’s 400m Individual Medley Jack Cassin swam 4:12.96, just outside his best time of 4:11.87, his final race in Budapest.

Niamh Coyne and Eoin Corby both closed out their World Championships in the 50m Breaststroke Heats. Coyne clocked 31.48 while Corby was home in 27.44.

This afternoon Ryan and Walshe will be joined in action by Nathan Wiffen who swims the fastest heat of the 800m Freestyle.  Wiffen swims the event in which his brother Daniel is the World Record holder from the European Aquatics Championships (SC) in 2023.

Day 5 Heats Results – Saturday 14^th December

Day 5 Finals Schedule – Saturday 14^th December

Meet Information

Dates: 10th – 15th December 2024

Times: Heats 8am / Finals 4.30pm (Ireland)

Schedule: Competition Schedule | World Aquatics Official

Results: All World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) Results By OMEGA

Live Stream: Eurovision Sport | Aquatics

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