2018 LEN EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- August 3-9, 2018 (swimming portion)
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Tollcross International Swimming Centre
- Meet Central
- Program
- Psych Sheet
- Live Results
Darragh Greene had already made his mark on the 2018 European Championships with a new 1:00.21 Irish national record in the 100m breaststroke prelims, but the 23-year-old blasted through a barrier in tonight’s semi-final.
Finishing tied for 8th in the semi-final, Greene threw down a time of 59.92 to become the first Irish swimmer ever to dip under the minute threshold. Splitting 28.40/31.52, the National Center Dublin athlete, who trains under Ben Higson, tied with Russian Kirill Prigoda in a bid to make tomorrow night’s final and compete once again against the likes of Great Britiain’s Adam Peaty, James Wilby and Russia’s Anton Chupkov.
Although Greene wound up finishing behind Prigoda in the swim-off (Greene clocked 1:00.44 to Prigoda’s 59.39), he was pleased with how he performed representing Ireland in Glasgow, as was National Performance Director Jon Rudd.
On the day as a whole, Rudd stated, “We’ve all talked a great deal around the notion of Irish swimmers needing to perform on the day that matters – and in the case of 2018, we have finished the first of seven of those days. And we couldn’t really have stood up stronger or more determined than we did today. Five swims in the heats with four of them lifetime bests. Four Irish records and three swims giving us second bites in semi-finals. Two of the three were then faster than the heats and we have to applaud Darragh becoming the first Irishman to break the minute for the long course 100m Breaststroke. If we continue in this vein, the week will be one to remember”.