23rd May 2021
Ireland’s Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay finished seventh in Sunday night’s LEN European Aquatics Championships Final in Budapest, closing an incredible week for Irish swimming and beginning the wait to learn Ireland’s Olympic relay qualifying fate.
Shane Ryan, Darragh Greene, Brendan Hyland and Jack McMillan set a new Irish Senior Record of 3:34.62 in the heats, and went under 3:35.00 for a second time to finish 7th in the Final in a time of 3:34.88.
Ireland’s goal for these championships was to qualify an Olympic relay team for the first time since 1972 and they leave the Duna Arena having set new Irish Senior Records in every relay event they competed in, including six Olympic relay events – the Men’s and Women’s 4x100m Medley and Freestyle Relays, the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay and the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay.
There are four remaining spots up for grabs in all Tokyo 2021 Olympic relays and Ireland’s Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay and Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay have given themselves a good chance of taking one of those spots.
Swim Ireland’s National Performance Director, Jon Rudd, who was in Budapest, said: “In terms of this final evening, we were again very pleased to be in the final, amongst the best in Europe, who form the majority of the top teams in the world in this event.
“We were slightly slower than the heats, but have a time in the event from those heats that keeps us in the Olympic frame.”
He added: “Overall, we are exceptionally pleased with how this group of athletes have progressed and galvanised into a unit that has re-written almost all of the Irish Senior Relay records this week.
“Two of our teams must now wait patiently to see if an Olympic invite is forthcoming. Needless to say, I’m a very proud Performance Director.”
Olympic relaying qualifying ends on May 31 and news is expected from FINA, the world aquatics governing body, shortly afterwards as to which nations have made the cut.
New Irish Senior Relay Records – Time (Time before this event)
Monday – Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Record – 3:16.88 (3:17.38)
(Jack McMillan, Jordan Sloan, Shane Ryan, Max McCusker)
Monday – Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Record – 3:44.37 (3:47.21)
(Mona McSharry, Danielle Hill, Victoria Catterson, Erin Riordan)
Tuesday – Mixed 4x200m Freestyle Relay Record – 7:51.24 then 7:50.41 (7:51.24)
(Max McCusker, Brendan Hyland, Naomi Trait, Victoria Catterson)
Wednesday – Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Record – 7:12.73 then 7:12.00 (7:13.91)
(Finn McGeever, Jack McMillan, Gerry Quinn, Jordan Sloan)
Thursday – Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay Record – 3:49.08 (3:52.38)
(Shane Ryan, Darragh Greene, Ellen Walshe, Danielle Hill)
Saturday – Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay Record – 3:33.06 (3:37.86)
(Max McCusker, Jordan Sloan, Erin Riordan, Victoria Catterson)
Sunday – Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay Record – 3:34.62 (3:35.23)
(Shane Ryan, Darragh Greene, Brendan Hyland, Jack McMillan)
Sunday – Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay Record – 4:02.93 (4:12.29)
(Danielle Hill, Mona McSharry, Ellen Walshe, Victoria Catterson)
