The Irish Summer National Age Group Championships continued at the UL Arena, showcasing a thrilling day of swimming. The competition was fierce, with swimmers delivering outstanding performances and securing national titles and championship medals across a packed programme of races. The day's events highlighted the talent and dedication of these young athletes, who pushed themselves to the limit in pursuit of excellence.
One of the standout performances came from Bangor swimmer Chloe Stewart, who dominated the 14-year-old 800m freestyle event with a winning time of 9:26.54. Stewart's performance showcased her exceptional endurance and technique, leaving her competitors in awe. In a close second place, Meadhbh Ní Riain of Limerick impressed with a time of 9:42.35, while Lucy Lee O'Donnell of Waterford Crystal secured bronze in 9:47.66. These results demonstrate the high level of competition and the depth of talent within the 14-year-old age group.
The 12-14-year-old 50m breaststroke event saw Sofiia Kostanetska of Cookstown emerge as the champion with a time of 35.53. Her performance was a testament to her strength and technique in the water. The silver and bronze medals went to Drogheda swimmers Jessica Sweeney and Sophia Winterbach, respectively, with times of 35.65 and 36.14. This race showcased the competitive spirit and determination of these young swimmers, as they pushed each other to their limits.
The Male & Open 200m backstroke events were another highlight of the day. In the 12-year-old race, Zayn Finnegan of Curragh continued his impressive championship performance, touching first in 2:35.46 to secure gold. Kristian Jakobsen of Blackrock won silver in 2:39.79, while Cody Murray of Ards claimed bronze in 2:41.90. The 13-year-old event was won by Ronan Cranney of Leander, who edged out a thrilling finish with a time of 2:25.24. Daniel Jordan of Wexford secured silver in 2:25.30, and Jacob McCabe of Sliabh Beagh took bronze in 2:27.92. The 14-year-old race saw Eoghan McQuillan of Lisburn produce a strong swim of 2:19.44 to claim gold, with Lucas Li of Tallaght earning silver in 2:20.03 and George Gaskin of Coolmine securing bronze in 2:22.75.
The Female 100m butterfly races produced some of the closest finishes of the session. In the 12-year-old event, Amelia Cray of Tallaght won gold in 1:11.42, with Alana McEvoy of Swilly Seals claiming silver in 1:13.85 and Clara Pinschmidt of Glenalbyn collecting bronze in 1:15.22. The 13-year-old race was decided by just four hundredths of a second, with Philippa Costello of Dolphin touching first in 1:07.55 to take the national title back to Cork. Bangor girl Esme Falls secured silver in 1:07.58, while Una Casey of Blackrock claimed bronze in 1:07.59. The 14-year-old event saw Olivia Falls of Bangor power to gold in 1:03.94, with Meadhbh Ní Riain of Limerick adding a silver medal in 1:07.40 and Amy Casagrande of Coolmine completing the podium in 1:08.41.
The Male & Open 12-14-year-old 50m freestyle event was won by Luka Griffin of Cookstown, who stormed to gold in 25.92. Callum Brown of Banbridge earned silver in 26.21, while Victor Virlan of Drogheda claimed bronze in 26.63. The Male & Open 100m butterfly event saw three highly competitive age-group races produce some excellent performances. In the 12-year-old race, Zayn Finnegan of Curragh claimed the national title after touching first in 1:12.02, with Cody Murray of Ards securing silver in 1:14.42 and Oliver McEvoy of Aer Lingus completing the podium with a bronze medal-winning time of 1:16.89. The 13-year-old race was won by Daniel Jordan of Wexford, who edged out a thrilling finish with a time of 1:03.90, narrowly ahead of Luciano Rodriguez Mendoza of Templeogue, who claimed silver in 1:03.93. Victor Virlan of Drogheda secured bronze in 1:05.36. The 14-year-old race saw Dylan Lyons of ALSAA produce a strong swim to take gold in 1:01.39, with Seb Dunne of Dolphin earning silver in 1:02.00 and Bradley Walker of Lurgan claiming bronze in 1:02.56.
The Female 200m individual medley event brought the night to a close, with swimmers battling across all four strokes for national titles. In the 12-year-old race, Alana McEvoy of Swilly Seals delivered a strong all-round performance to claim gold in 2:45.75, with Bella Hill of Bangor securing silver in 2:47.36 and Lily Ha of Dolphin taking bronze after stopping the clock at 2:49.24. The 13-year-old event produced a thrilling finish, with less than a second separating the top two swimmers. Una Casey of Blackrock touched first in 2:31.45 to secure the national title, narrowly ahead of Curragh swimmer Tara Finnegan, who claimed silver in 2:32.04. Molly Mullin of City of Derry completed the podium, earning bronze in 2:36.15. The 14-year-old race saw Olivia Falls win gold in another closely contested affair, finishing just 0.31 seconds ahead of Ciara Cunningham of Galway Swimming Club, who took silver in 2:33.99. Faya Smullen of Asgard secured the bronze medal with a time of 2:38.27.
In summary, the Irish Summer National Age Group Championships showcased the talent and dedication of young swimmers across various events. The competition was fierce, with swimmers pushing themselves to their limits and delivering outstanding performances. The results demonstrate the high level of competition and the depth of talent within the Irish swimming community.
