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Ireland’s Shane Ryan wins bronze medal in 50m backstroke at world championships

The 30-year-old swam a time of 22.56 seconds, breaking his Irish record by 0.2 seconds

Ireland’s Shane Ryan celebrates winning a bronze medal. Photograph: Andrea Masini/Inpho
Ireland’s Shane Ryan celebrates winning a bronze medal. Photograph: Andrea Masini/Inpho
Fri Dec 13 2024 - 19:50

Ireland’s Shane Ryan has won a bronze medal in the 50m backstroke at the world short course championships in Budapest.

The 30-year-old swam a time of 22.56 seconds, breaking his Irish record by 0.2 seconds. It left him 0.09 seconds behind the winner, the 18-year-old Miron Lifintsev, a Russian competing under a neutral flag. Isaac Cooper of Australia was second in 22.49.

Ryan’s previous Irish record had stood since 2018 when he was last in a world final and claimed Ireland’s first world short course medal in 22.76. Ireland has had two additional world championships medallists since in Ellen Walshe (silver) and Mona McSharry (bronze) in 2021.

A delighted Ryan spoke after the race: “I love the outside lane, outside smoke, you have a clean lane next to you, I think it’s like because I’m a bit older, I know just what to do and each swim, I need to be better and I cleaned it up right and it worked out, I couldn’t believe it. Look I came in, I knew I wanted to make top eight, and then it was just going out and having fun and racing the guys and that’s what I did tonight and came out third which is great and a PB.”

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After receiving his medal Ryan added “I’m good, it’s nice to see the tricolour flag being raised again, now I need to get ready for that 50m free tomorrow’

Meanwhile, Ellen Walshe was in flying form as she raced in yet another world record race, this time next to the world record holder Gretchen Walsh (52.87) in the 100m butterfly. Their second semi-final proved to be the faster of the two with the top three swimmers claiming the top three seeds for Saturday’s final at 16.32 (Ireland), Walshe taking the third place.