Lakelanders compete at McCullagh International in Bangor
14 Apr 2024
Lakelanders compete at McCullagh International in Bangor
Three Enniskillen Lakelanders Club swimmers qualified for the prestigious McCullagh International swim meet, held at Bangor’s Aurora Aquatic Centre over four days last week.
A huge achievement in itself, this was a unique opportunity to compete against the best in Ireland and further afield. The event attracted a large contingent of competitors from overseas, including Olympians!
Ellie Dunlop (15) produced some impressive swims having qualified for 3 events at this meet.
Ellie performed well in the 100m Breaststroke heat, with a pb and a place in the Junior final, where Ellie finished as the 3rd fastest 15 year old with a further PB. Next up was 200m Breaststroke where Ellie achieved a PB in the heat, a place in the B final with a further PB, finishing as 6th fastest 15 year old. To finish off the weekend, Ellie swam in the 50m Breaststroke where she took part in a thrilling swim off, narrowly missing a place in the A final, but finishing in 2nd place in the B final, with her 3rd PB, she was delighted to finish as the fastest 15 year old with a 10th place finish overall.
Hannah Lynch (15) hit the wall 4th in her age group in the 800m Freestyle, 5th in the 400m Freestyle and a fabulous 2nd in the gruelling 1500m Freestyle.
Kate McDade (16) had a very successful competition. In a good start in 100m Breaststroke , she just missed out on a place in the final. Day 2 saw Kate qualify for the 200m Breaststroke final and was delighted to come 3rd .
A PB in 50m Breaststroke secured another final. Kate finished 5th with the tightest of margins in this highly competitive race separating the 10 finalists.
Club Chairperson Aideen Speer praised the swimmers’ efforts over the four-day event. ‘It was fantastic to see the Lakelanders represented in several finals and topping the age group rankings. The achievements over the weekend reflects the disciplined work ethic of both the swimmers and head coach Ben Wiffen.
Club Head Coach Ben Wiffen noted this was a very exciting weekend to share with the swimmers as they have done themselves proud at this International Meet. The long course season is well and truly underway with end of season goals now set, a clear picture of the associated work that needs to be done has been drawn up. A few swimming benchmarks being surpassed is always a good confidence builder this early in the competitive season. Gaining experience at an international competition in your back yard is a fantastic opportunity for our swimmers.
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