The final qualifier for Sliabh Beagh swimmers, looking to achieve qualification for the Irish Summer Age-group and Youth/Senior Championships, took place on Sunday 28th May at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin.
Sliabh Beagh swimmers had a great meet with many personal best times and podium places across the very busy day of racing.
In the U12 age-group, Owen Fitzpatrick started off the meet off on a real high finishing 2nd and picked up silver place podiums in the 100 Freestyle and 100 Fly and a bronze 3rd place in the 200 Individual Medley, also achieving an Irish National age-group qualification time in the process.
In the U14 age-group, Justas Jarusas held his focus to pick up a bronze podium in the 200 Backstroke as well as a qualification time for the Irish age-groups and had solid competition swims in the 100 and 200 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke. Swimming a year out of their age-groups and after their exploits the night before at the Round four Aqua Series meet in Downpatrick against Lecale, Riya George set personal best times in the 200 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly and 100 Freestyle, while Ridas Zelvys excelled with big personal best times in the 400 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle.
In the U16 age-group, Sean Greenan had some sublime swims in his four entered events, with big personal bests in the 200Backstroke, 100Fly and 100 Freestyle and picked up a well earned 3rd place and bronze podium in the 200 Butterfly. New Sliabh Beagh swimming debutant Hayden James had a positive first racing outing for his new club performing strongly in the 100 Freestyle, 50 and 200 Butterfly, while he won an excellent bronze podium in the 100 Butterfly. Kristupas Januskevic had a brilliant four race meet with four personal best swims from four (100 Breaststroke and 100 Freestyle) and with two 5th place finishes in the 50 Breaststroke and 200 Freestyle. Edvardas Zumaras continued on his consistent performance progression this season, with personal best times in the 100/200 Backstroke and 100 Butterfly, while Katherine Ryan had an impressive personal best in the in the 200IM and finished sixth in the 50 Breaststroke.
In the 17 and older age-group, Aisling Duffy had super personal best swims in the 200 and 400 Freestyle, while top 10 finishes were achieved by Aoibhin MacCinna (50/100 Butterfly and 50/100Backstroke) and Hannah Sheridan in the 50 and 200 Backstroke.
This brought to a close Sliabh Beagh’s qualification window for the Irish Summer National meets where the club will have 12 swimmers competing over the two meets. Other club swimmers and some of the national qualifier swimmers will have the opportunity to compete at the season’s curtain closer Swim Ulster Festival at the end of June, or the Stuttgart International on the same weekend, where the club will be represented at this prestigious event by six swimmers.