Enniskillen Lakelanders’ Shine at Nationals in Dublin
28 Jul 2024
Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers reap the rewards of their hard work at the National Championships in Dublin
Swim Ireland's new look 2024 Irish Youth and Senior Summer National Championships took place at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin from Tuesday 22nd to Saturday 27th July 2024 at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, Dublin. The five-day event saw 1125 swimmers from over 120 clubs compete from all over Ireland to as far afield as Dubai. The path to nationals is paved by hundreds of hours of pool so to qualify for this prestigious competition is a huge achievement for all swimmers. There was high excitement and some nerves among the five Enniskillen Lakelanders who had qualified. Nonetheless in the experienced hands of Head Coach Ben Wiffen, the team brought home several medals, certificates and PBs back to their club.
Kiril Chursin (18) qualified for two events and really enjoyed his third trip to Irish Summer Nationals. Kiril had very strong swims over the competition week. The 100m Breaststroke saw him hit the wall the 15th fastest 18 year old, shaving 1.91 seconds off his PB, a performance for which he was awarded a special Swim Ireland Certificate in recognition of his time improvement. Kiril went on to secure another new PB in the speedy 50m Freestyle event, clocking a time of 26.68.
One of the youngest Lakelanders to compete was Ellie Dunlop (15) an Ulster Squad swimmer, qualified for four events at the National Championships. Ellie secured a silver medal and a new PB after a tight final in the 100m Breaststroke. She narrowly missed a podium spot in the nail biting 200m Breaststroke final where a new PB of 1.85 seconds ranked her 5th in Ireland. Ellie collected another new PB in the 200m Individual Medley. Ellie also qualified to compete in the open 50m Breaststroke, racing against all qualified swimmers aged 15+, doing Lakelanders proud in the exciting Finale event, a successful week demonstrating her dedication to training throughout the season.
Hannah Lynch (15), another of the club’s Ulster Squad swimmers, collected bronze medals in both the arduous 800m & 1500m Freestyle races. Hannah hit the wall at 18.53.16 in the 1500m Freestyle, taking a whopping 16 seconds off her PB and was awarded special Swim Ireland awards for her improved PBs in the 800m & 1500m Freestyle. She went on to clock in at 4th place in the 200m Backstroke final, narrowly missing the podium, 7th place in the 400m Freestyle final and 17th in the 200m Freestyle finals. A very busy and successful week for Hannah which also brought her two Swim Ireland awards for improved PBs in the 200m Backstroke and 400m Freestyle in addition to Ulster Squad qualification times in the 200m Backstroke, 400m Freestyle & 800m Freestyle. All magnificent achievements and much encouragement for next season.
Kate Mc Dade (15) was racing in the highly competitive 16 -17 year old category at her third summer National championships. Kate hit the wall 3rd fastest 16 year old in the 200m Breaststroke heats and narrowly missed the podium in the Final, securing a new PB and a special Swim Ireland award for highest improvement points. She finished 5th in her age group in the 100m Breaststroke Final with another PB. Qualifying for another final in the 200m Individual Medley, a strong swim brought her another new PB and an 8th place finish among the 16 year olds.
More strategic swimming produced another high ranking with a 12th place finish in the 400m Freestyle event to finish a busy and very successful Championship for Kate.
17 year old James Mongan enjoyed competing at his second National Championships, swimming a strong 200m Backstroke race to hit the wall on his seed time and finish in the top 25 of his age group.
Head Coach Ben Wiffen praised the swimmers’ efforts over the 5-day meet stating “Irish Nationals are always a highly competitive and tense event. It showcases the swimmers’ hard work throughout the year and I was extremely pleased with every swimmer’s individual performances. Multiple medals, certificates and PBs makes it all worthwhile.”
Club Chairperson Aideen Speer praised the swimmers’ efforts and commitment to their sport. Aideen said ‘These swimmers have been training hard over the season and their success is testament to their dedication in the pool. All the swimmers and their families are also grateful to club sponsors Lough Erne Resort and Western Cars. Special thanks is reserved for Enniskillen Lakelanders’ Head Coach Ben Wiffen for his hard work with the swimmers throughout the season and during the 5 days of the event.’
The club look forward this week to cheering on Ben’s brother Daniel Wiffen as he swims for Ireland at the Olympics in Paris.
We look forward now to next season but as a club we are very concerned for our future. Formed in 1970, Enniskillen Lakelanders has produced regional and National Swimmers but with the news that the Lakeland Forum is to close for an optimistic three years, the club’s future and the potential loss of swimmers in the county is inevitable unless there is a U turn in the current plan and an alternative site acquired for the new leisure centre so as to ensure no loss of pool provision.
Since its establishment the Club has maintained a high profile in swimming across Ulster and Ireland. These opportunities are now being taken from our present members and future swimmers for the next number of years within the County. We strongly propose that a more informed plan is made for swimming in Fermanagh.
- 18 May 2025Young Lakelanders give Lecale a tough battle for Aquasprint League Round 3
A team of 35 young swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders ASC travelled to Downpatrick on Saturday to compete in the third meet of this year’s Forest Feast AquaSprints league.
The annual Swim Ulster competition offers an opportunity for younger swimmers born between 2017 and 2012 to race over 25m sprints in all four strokes, in both individual and relay events.
The young Lakelanders who recently moved to Omagh for training following the closure of their home pool in the Lakeland Forum, took on the battle against Lecale with gusto. - 04 May 2025Quartet of Ulster titles and a slew of medals & PBs at Ulster LC Champs
A squad of 12 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club attended the Ulster Age Group and Senior LC Championships at the Bangor Aurora Leisure Complex on 2nd, 3rd & 4th May. Competitors from across 32 clubs in Ulster met the tough qualification standards to take part in this key meet over three days, targeting Ulster podium spots, and those important Summer National qualification times. - 19 Apr 2025Lakelanders light up the NAC at Irish Open
Swim Ireland’s Irish Open Swimming Championships started on Saturday (12th April) at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre in Dublin. The 5-day event saw over three hundred swimmers from over fifty clubs compete for National titles in thirty-four individual events. The competition saw twelve Championship Records broken as well as three Irish Senior and four Irish Junior Records across the five days of racing as swimmers aimed for places on Senior National Teams. This meet is also the first opportunity for athletes to qualify for the Regional and National programmes for the 2025-2026 season. Three swimmers from the local Enniskillen Lakelanders swim club attended the prestigious meet keen to compete with the best in the country and witness some of the top swimmers the world in action. - 05 Apr 2025Cracking Racing in Craigavon for Enniskillen Lakelanders' Swimmers
Portadown ASC and Lurgan ASC hosted the South Lake Open Meet 2025 at South Lake Leisure Centre, Craigavon on Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th April. A total of 32 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers competed over the two day meet. - 30 Mar 2025Lakelanders' Swimmers Sparkle for their Schools at Irish Minor Schools Champions
The Irish Minor Schools Championships 2025 took place on Sunday 30th March at the National Aquatic Centre, Dublin. 17 Enniskillen Lakelanders swimmers aged 12 and under made the journey, having qualified earlier this month at the regional schools gala in Lisburn and were high with excitement as they headed off to Dublin to do their schools proud on the National stage. - 23 Mar 2025Young Lakelanders successful at Future Challengers Gala in Lisburn
Ten junior members of Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club travelled to Lisburn on Saturday 22nd March to compete in the fourth meet of the Swim Ulster Future Challengers series at the Lagan Valley Leisureplex.
This gala series is for swimmers aged 10-14 and provides competitive racing opportunities at junior level.
Several medals and lots of new personal best times were secured by the young Lakelanders who displayed their continual improvement and commitment to the sport. - 23 Mar 2025Lakelanders Aquasprinters Victorious over Belfast Olympia
The second round of this season’s Aquasprint League for the Enniskillen Lakelanders took place on Sunday morning at home to Belfast’s Olympia. 40 of their younger swimmers born between 2017 and 2012 took to the pool. There was lots of excitement but a tinge of sadness knowing this would be the last home Aquasprint of the year. The swimmers, committee and parents were hoping for a great morning.
The Aquasprint league, sponsored by Forest Feast, is a starting point for the younger swimmers to compete in all strokes in individual and relays over 25m. Aquasprints are a great opportunity for children to build on what they have been learning in the pool with coaches Ben and Claire, adding speed to this and a competitive edge. - 15 Mar 2025Ellie and Hannah swim for Ulster
Enniskillen Lakelanders' swimmers Hannah Lynch and Ellie Dunlop travelled to High Wycombe as part of the team of Ulster Regional and National programme athletes to race at the Wycombe Premier Open meet from Friday 7th March to Sunday 9th March. - 15 Mar 2025Lakelanders Secure Medal Haul in Bangor
12 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers travelled to the Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex, Bangor to compete in Round 2 of Swim Ulster’s ‘Aspiring Champions’ Meet Series on 15th & 16th March. This spectacular 50m pool was the perfect venue for the many challenging events the Fermanagh swimmers were eager to dive into over the weekend. - 02 Mar 2025Fermanagh Swimmers Shine for their schools at Ulster Schools Championships
Swim Ulster Primary Schools Cup and Championship was held in the Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn on Saturday 1st March.
Excited for this opportunity to represent their schools, 30 swimmers across 9 local schools headed to Lisburn, determined to do the Southwest proud and qualify for the All-Ireland Championships held in Dublin in March. Although a school competition, all the students attending are committed members of the Enniskillen Lakelanders swimming club and mustered all their skills and training in competing against the best swimmers from schools across Ulster. A successful day saw 5 podium finishes and an amazing number of swimmers qualify for the All-Ireland primary school championship to be held at the National Aquatic Centre Dublin later this month.
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