Sycerika McMahon will have some company in the women’s 100 breaststroke at this summer’s World Championships in Barcelona Spain. McMahon, who has already secured her qualifying for Worlds coming into this meet, didn’t swim the breaststroke at this weekend’s Irish Long Course National Championships, and in her absence Canadian-trained Fiona Doyle won in 1:08.23.
Not only does that secure a victory and a World Championship qualifier for Doyle, but it also broke McMahon’s 2012 record of 1:08.37 set last year.
Doyle, who hails from Limmerick, lives and trains in Canada at the University of Calgary and has been sharpened in the depth of the Canadian breaststroke contingent.
In the men’s race, where 27-year old Barry Murphy was shooting for a qualification time of his own, the clock read at the touch a 1:01.35, which though it was his best time of 2013, left him half-a-second away from Barcelona.
Meanwhile, 19-year old Nicholas Quinn took 2nd in 1:02.88 – more than a second faster than his personal best time and a similarly huge drops from the semi-finals.
McMahon, though, taking the opportunity at this meet to swim a lot of races and practice competing, as well as play the star of the Irish team, won the women’s 400 IM in 4:17.84, as well as she did the 100 free in 56.74.
18-year old Curtis Coulter won the men’s 100 free in 51.00, just out-touching Egyptian Adham Abdelmeged by .01 seconds.
As for the biggest name at this meet, Hungarian Katinka Hosszu, she swam a lot of races in the morning session but only held on for two of them in finals. She was the top seed in the morning of the 50 back in 29.62; and in the 500 free prelims she was only 4:31.56 before scratching finals (though her 31.36 second last 50 made it pretty clear that this was a coast, perhaps with a specific goal in mind).
In the races she did swim in the evening, though, she took the 5th seed in the women’s 100 fly semifinal with a 1:04.00. Cal-bound Egyptian Farida Osman is the top seed in that race in 1:00.38. Hosszu then won the 200 back in 2:12.06. After breaking the National Record of the legendary Krisztina Egerszegi in the 100 back, that time was nowhere near the record in the 200.
Updated Qualifications after Saturday:
World Swimming Championships, 28th July – 4th August 2013, Barcelona, Spain
Today’s Qualifiers: Fiona Doyle (100m Breaststroke) Portmarnock SC
Previously Qualified: Sycerika McMahon (Leander ASC), Chris Bryan (Ennis SC) (open water)
European Junior Championships, 10th – 14th July 2013, Poznan, Poland
Previously Qualified :Sarah Kelly Comans SC, Clodagh Flood Tallaght SC/NAC HPC, Brendan Gibbons Athlone SC/NAC HPC, Mary Kate McDowell Bangor SC, Derbhail McNamara Westport SC, Brian O’Sullivan NAC SC, David O’Sullivan Galway SC, Gemma Kane Bangor ASC
World University Games, 10th – 17th July 2013, Kazan, Russia
Previously Qualified: Chris Bryan (Ennis SC), Fiona Doyle (Portmarnock SC), Andrew Meegan Aer Lingus SC
European Youth Olympic Festival, 14th – 19th July 2013, Utrecht, Netherlands
Today’s Qualifiers: Benjamin Doyle (200Back) Aer Lingus
Previously Qualified: Niamh Kilgallon Claremorris SC, Rachel Bethel Bangor ASC, James Brown Ards AC, Morgan Berryman City of Belfast, Joseph Mooney Limerick SC, Benjamin Doyle Aer Lingus
US Open, 30th July – 3rd August 2013, Irvine, California
Today’s Qualifiers: Shauna O’Brien (100Fly) UCD
Previously Qualified: Brendan Gibbons (Athlone SC NAC HPC), Bethany Carson (Lisburn City SC), Andrew Meegan (Aer Lingus SC), Barry Murphy (Aer Lingus SC/NAC HPC), Brendan Hyland (Tallaght SC/NAC HPC), David Thomspon (Invictus ASC), Fiona Doyle (Portmarnock SC), Seamus Stacey NUIM Devils, Sean Leahy Dolphin SC, Curtis Coulter Ards ASC, David O’Sullivan Galway
IPC World Championships, 11-17th August 2013, Montreal, Canada
Previously Qualified: James Scully NUIM Devils, Ellen Keane Aer Lingus SC, Bethany Firth Ards ASC, Darragh McDonald Asgard SC, Jonathan McGrath Limerick SC, Laurence McGivern Invictus ASC