G.S.C. swimmers impress at Connacht Short Course Championships 2016

by GSC · Published 11th November 2016 · Updated 11th November 2016

The Connacht short course swimming championships were held in Leisureland on the October bank holiday weekend (29/30^th) with G.S.C. swimmers impressing at this year’s meet with multiple personal best (PB) swims & podium place finishes.

Over the course of the two day meet, G.S.C. swimmers accumulated impressive results achieving 95 PB swims, winning 13 Connacht titles, 20 silvers & 13 bronze podium place finishes.

The impressive results started off in the U14 Girls age-group category, with Keela Mulhall winning gold in the 200m Freestyle and silvers in the 100m IM & 200m IM and bronze in the 50m Butterfly, while Aoife Leahy had a brilliant start to her G.S.C. career wining gold in the 50m Butterfly, silver in the 400m Freestyle and picked up four bronze podium finishes in the 50m and 200m Freestyle, 200m Backstroke and 200m IM.

Isabelle Gibbs was also having a strong meet winning gold in the 50m Backstroke and won silver in the 200m Backstroke while swimming a year out of their ages Ailbhe Mulhall won gold in the 200m Butterfly and 800m Freestyle, Alison Gibbs won three silvers in the 200m Breaststroke, 400m IM and 800m Freestyle and Iona Ashton won bronze in the 50m Backstroke.

Impressive performances were also achieved by Oliwia Roclawska, Lauren Sharkey, Emma Murphy, Aoife Davitt & Sarah Bradley with excellent PB’s in multiple swims for their first time swimming at this level of competition.

In the 4 x50m Medley & 4 x 50m Freestyle relay events Ailbhe, Iona, Alison & Oliwia stepped up to win two silver podium place finishes in very exciting races.

In the Boys U14 age-group David Doorly was in superb form winning three silvers medals in the 200m and 400m Freestyle and in the 200 Backstroke, while Eoin O’Malley won bronze in the 400m IM.

Ralf Bodamer, Eoghan Daly and Rory Lally all displayed impressive swimming at this level of meet for the first time with excellent PB performances across multiple events.

In the Girls 15 & Over age-group, new G.S.C. recruit Sarah Kelly had a very impressive debut winning three Connacht Senior titles in the 50m and 200m Butterfly and the 400m Freestyle and won silver in the 200m Freestyle.

G.S.C. Girls Team Captain, Aoife Shorten, picked up silvers in the 50m Butterfly, 50m Freestyle and won bronze in the 50m Backstroke, while Sophie Moran won gold in the 100m IM. Paola O’Brien, in her first meet swimming for G.S.C. set new PB’s in the 50m Backstroke, 50m Butterfly and 50m Freestyle.

In the Open Girls 4 x50m Medley & 4 x50m Freestyle relay events, Aoife and Sophie were joined by Keela Mulhall and Isabelle Gibbs and stepped up to win two gold podium place finishes in very exciting finishes.

In the Boys 15 & Over age-group, Mitchell Wilson won two golds in the 50m Backstroke and 200m Breaststroke, silvers in the 100m IM and 200m Backstroke and bronze in the 200m Freestyle, while Fionn Duffy was having superb meet winning silver in the 400m IM and also picked up bronze podiums in the 200 Butterfly and 200 Breaststroke.

G.S.C. Boys Team Captain, Brian O’Farrell, won bronze in the 50m Breaststroke and new G.S.C. swimmer Caomhan Daly won silver in the 200m Breaststroke, while Joseph Doorly and Liam Kilkenny had positive meets setting multiple PB’s times over the weekend.

In the Open Boys 4 x 50m Medley and 4 x 50m Freestyle relay events, a very new and young looking G.S.C. Boys team made up of Mitch, Brian, Fionn & Joe battled hard to win two well deserved silver podiums places and brought to a close a very positive meet for all the competing G.S.C. swimmers.

GSC would like to extend sincere thanks to Team managers Trisha Murphy, Yvonne Gibbs, Emma Wilson & Tracy Mulhall for their sublime support work for the team over a very busy weekend of competition & lastly a BIG thanks to Coach Brian, Stuart & Pearse for their top-class coaching support to the athletes at a very successful Connacht SC meet.