Sport

Shane Ryan secures spot at World Championships with Irish Open win

Olympian lowers Irish record in the 100m backstroke to take gold

Shane Ryan qualified for the World Championships in South Korea with an Irish record in the men’s 100 metres backstroke at the Irish Open in Dublin. Photograph: Andrea Staccioli/Inpho
Shane Ryan qualified for the World Championships in South Korea with an Irish record in the men’s 100 metres backstroke at the Irish Open in Dublin. Photograph: Andrea Staccioli/Inpho
John Kenny at the National Aquatic Centre
Sat Mar 30 2019 - 19:21

Shane Ryan became the second Irish swimmer to qualify for July's World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea when the 25-year-old dipped below the qualifying time in winning the men's 100 metres backstroke on the penultimate day of the Irish Open swimming championships at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin.

Ryan won the decider in 53.73 seconds, a new Irish senior record and well inside the time required. Conor Ferguson, the former world junior silver medallist, came home in second place, just outside the qualifying standard. Rory McEvoy of NCD took bronze.

In fact Ryan’s time was .12 of a second quicker than the time he set when he made the semi-final of the event at the Olympic games in Rio in 2016.

Ryan joins Darragh Greene on the plane to South Korea in the summer and the former US Olympic squad member will also be part of the Irish freestyle relay squad.

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Greene made it a treble of Irish breaststroke titles when he added the 50 metre title to the 100 and 200 gold medals he won this week, taking victory in 27.55 seconds.

Tallaght's Brendan Hyland broke his second Irish senior record of the week when he won the men's 200 metres individual medley in 2:01.54, cutting over half a second off the two-year-old Irish best.

Hyland also broke the Irish record in winning the men’s 200 butterfly earlier in the week.

Scotland's Hanna Miley, the two time Olympian, won her fourth gold medal of the week in taking victory in the women's 200 metres freestyle in 2.02.44, while 19-year-old Rachael Bethel of Bangor took second place and with it won the national title.

Results

Men

1500 freestyle

1 Daniel Wiffen (Lisburn) 15:53.03 2 Alfie Kelly (Dolphin) 3 Jack Fleming (Lisburn)

200 metres individual medley

1 Brendan Hyland (NCD) 2:01.54 (ISR) 2 Jack McMillan (Bangor) 3 Cillian Melley NCL

100m backstroke

1 Shane Ryan (NCD) 53.73 secs (ISR) 2 Conor Ferguson (NCD) 3 Rory McEvor (NCD)

50m breaststroke

1 Darragh Greene (NCD) 27.55 secs

2 Andrew Moore (UCD)

3 Eoin Corby (NCL)

Women

200m freestyle

1 Hannah Miley (NUAX) 2.02.44

2 Rachael Bethel (Bangor)

3 Amerlia Kane (Ards)

100m backstroke

1 Danielle Hill (Larne) 1.2.09

2 Sophie Maguire (Drogheda)

3 Rebecca Reid (Ards)