Cora & Dara dazzle at the Irish Short Course Championships in Dublin
21 Dec 2021
With the World Short Course Championships taking place in Abu Dhabi, the Irish Short Course Championships at Dublin's Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, provided the opportunity for some of Ireland’s younger athletes to take centre stage last week in Dublin.
Under the watchful eye of Coach Sinead Donagher, the return to National competition did not disappoint for the Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers attending the three-day meet - Dara Ronan (17) and Cora Rooney (16). With increasing Covid restrictions, spectators were not permitted at this event. Swim Ireland broadcast the events live from the NAC and many Lakelanders swimmers watched the action online, cheering for their friends and teammates virtually.
The first event for the Lakelanders saw Cora produce a Personal Best (PB) time in the preliminary rounds of the 50m Backstroke race. Cora progressed to the Senior final where she improved her ranking from eighth to sixth place in a very fast, exciting race.
Dara followed with his first event the 200m Butterfly which saw him PB the first half of his race. This performance was enough to ensure Dara qualified for the transition 200m Butterfly final. This was a time for Dara to refocus and after a strong race he achieved a sixth place finish and new PB.
Day two of the Championship saw both swimmers compete in the 50m Butterfly event. Cora again produced a strong swim to qualify into the Senior finals. Dara also achieved a PB in the 50m Butterfly finishing his championship with a great race. Cora followed her success in the Butterfly with a strong performance in the 100m Backstroke in which she achieved the National squad qualifying time in the preliminary heats. Cora was proud to PB in the finals of both events where she won the bronze medal in the 50m Butterfly, followed by touching in 4th Irish swimmer in 100m backstroke.
The third and final day saw Cora continue her good form to qualify for another Senior final. Cora produced another PB in her final swim touching again as the 4th Irish swimmer in the arduous 200m Backstroke.
Lakelanders Chair Sara Lannon praised their achievements and success at National level. ‘Cora and Dara are an inspiration to their team mates, they consistently demonstrate the discipline and hard work required to be a champion swimmer.’
At home, the Lakelanders brought the season to a close with a fun morning in the Lakeland Forum, where the Beginner groups were treated to a playful session filled with lots of smiling faces looking forward to the Christmas break and full of optimism for the year ahead.
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