Dec 13,2024
Record-breaker Ellen Walshe, Shane Ryan and Danielle Hill all progressed from their respective heats to the semi-finals at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest on Thursday morning, while Jack Cassin equalled the Irish record when bowing out of the 200m butterfly and Nathan Wiffen clocked his second-fastest time ever in the 400m freestyle when missing out on a semi-final berth.
Walshe, who set her fifth Irish record of the week from as many swims, lowered her own 100m individual medley mark from 59.30 seconds to 58.85 as she hit the wall in second in her heat and eighth fastest overall.
Speaking afterwards, Walshe said: "I'm delighted with that, as we were all saying in the call room, it is just such a fun one. You don’t have time to think about it, it just changes so quickly, so yeah, it was a bit of fun. It’s not a main event or anything, a bit of speed.
"I’m used to racing a longer distance in the IM, so it’s a bit more effort coming into that, it felt like it was forcing it so much. So hopefully tonight I can be a bit more relaxed and just go out there and enjoy it."
Ryan recorded a time of 22.98 to finish second in his 50m backstroke heat, with only two of his rivals dipping under that time across all six heats.
"I think that's my best morning swim, especially after all day yesterday," the 30-year-old opined. "So happy with that and we just try and progress on and just have fun. I’m still nervous, that’s why I love the sport."
Hill advanced to the semi-finals in the 50m backstroke after placing third in her heat in 26.67 to finish 13th fastest of the qualifiers.
"I think first two days pretty tough, and I'm not really too disappointed because it was where I was," Hill said.
"I texted Peter (Hill, coach) and I was brutally honest that we hadn’t done the work and that was totally fine. You know we’d just come off the back of an Olympic Games and a European Championships, which totally changed my swimming outlook, so yeah, the work wasn’t there for the 100m.
"Happy to get the hand on the wall in that 50 metres and now we go through the processes and see what we can do again tonight."
Cassin, competing in his first Worlds at the age of 20, belied his inexperience as he equalled Brendan Hyland's 200m butterfly Irish record of 1:53.19.
That saw the nascent talent finish fourth in his heat and 16th overall. However, a semi-final berth does not beckon as the seven fastest swimmers advanced directly to the final.
Wiffen's swim of 3:44.05 in the 400m freestyle saw him finish fifth in his heat, with the Armagh man having only once clocked a faster time over a distance now short of his optimal trip.
Walshe, Ryan and Hill all return to the Duna Arena this evening as they bid to reach their finals.
