Swimming
Eight Medals for Ireland at Sette Colli International
Ireland’s swimmers starred at the prestigious Sette Colli International in Rome, returning home with an impressive haul of eight medals.
Olympic medallist Mona McSharry got Ireland’s campaign off to a flying start on the opening evening, securing silver in the 100m Breaststroke. After progressing as the fastest qualifier from the morning heats in 1:06.53, the Sligo native improved to 1:06.30 in the final to finish second behind Italy’s Benedetta Pilato.
The medals continued to flow on Saturday evening. Ellen Walshe delivered another high-quality performance to claim silver in the 400m Individual Medley, clocking 4:37.30 – the third-fastest swim of her career. The performance continued an impressive trend for the Templeogue swimmer, who has now recorded three of her four fastest times in the event at Sette Colli over the past three years.
McSharry added a bronze medal in the 50m Breaststroke, touching in 30.66 behind Pilato and Lisa Angiolini, while Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen secured bronze in a competitive 800m Freestyle final. Wiffen touched in 7:53.76 after a closely fought contest with Greece’s Vasileios Kakoulakis and Brazil’s Guilherme Costa.
The final day of racing proved to be Ireland’s strongest.
Walshe led the charge with a remarkable gold-and-silver double. The 24-year-old won the 200m Butterfly in 2:08.02, the second-fastest performance of her career and just outside her Irish record. Less than an hour later, she returned to the pool to secure silver in the 200m Individual Medley in 2:11.40.
McSharry completed a full set of medals in Rome with gold in the 200m Breaststroke. Turning second with 50 metres remaining, she produced a powerful closing leg to overhaul the Netherlands’ Tes Schouten and touch first in 2:22.71.
There was further success for Ireland through European and World Junior champion John Shortt, who claimed silver in the men’s 200m Backstroke. The teenager improved significantly from the heats to post 1:57.73 in the final, finishing second behind Switzerland’s Roman Mityukov.
The performances saw Ireland conclude the competition with two gold, four silver and two bronze medals as preparations continue towards the upcoming World Championships.
Rowing
Fiona Murtagh and Izzy Clements Reach the Podium in Lucerne
Ireland also enjoyed a successful weekend at World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland, with Fiona Murtagh and Izzy Clements both securing podium finishes.
Reigning world champion Fiona Murtagh delivered a standout performance in the Women’s Single Sculls A Final to win silver. Murtagh battled throughout a thrilling contest with Great Britain’s Lauren Henry, holding a narrow lead at halfway before eventually crossing the line second in 7:37.79. She showed tremendous resilience in the closing stages to fend off Australia’s Tara Rigney and secure the silver medal.
Earlier in the regatta, Izzy Clements claimed Ireland’s first medal of the weekend with bronze in the Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls.
Clements rowed confidently throughout the race and held second position for much of the 2,000-metre contest. A late push from the Netherlands’ Van Vliet moved the Dutch athlete into silver, but Clements held on strongly to secure third place behind Mexico’s Kenia Lechuga Alanís.
The Women’s Double Sculls crew of Zoe Hyde and Mags Cremen also impressed. The Irish pair made a blistering start and led the field early on before eventually finishing fourth, narrowly missing out on a podium finish in a highly competitive final.
Athletics
Tuthill and Mawdsley Continue Athletics Progress
Irish athletics recorded further encouraging results on the international circuit.
Nicola Tuthill continued her excellent season by producing a personal best throw of 72.73m to win the hammer event at the Czesław Cybulski Memorial in Poland. The meeting forms part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver series, making it another significant victory for the UCD AC athlete.
In Paris, Sharlene Mawdsley marked her Diamond League debut with another breakthrough performance. The Newport AC runner clocked a personal best of 50.06 seconds in the women’s 400m, finishing fifth and continuing her impressive progression on the world stage.
Cycling
National Champions Crowned in Mayo
Ireland’s leading road cyclists faced challenging conditions in County Mayo as the 2026 Cycling Ireland National Championships crowned four elite champions.
Seth Dunwoody claimed the Elite Men’s Road Race title following an impressive ride to secure the national crown.
Olympian Lara Gillespie enjoyed a championship weekend to remember, completing a road race and time trial double. Gillespie captured both the Women’s Road Race and Women’s Time Trial titles, underlining her status as one of Ireland’s leading cyclists.
Ryan Mullen successfully defended his Men’s Time Trial championship, adding another national title to his distinguished career.
The championships brought together the country’s top road riders and provided another showcase of the strength and depth within Irish cycling as athletes continue preparations for the remainder of the international season.