Lakelanders impress at McCullagh International Gala
23 Feb 2025
Lakelanders impress at McCullagh International Gala
Four Enniskillen Lakelanders Club swimmers qualified for the prestigious McCullagh International swim meet, held at Bangor’s Aurora Aquatic Centre over three 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 (16) produced some impressive swims having qualified for 3 events at this meet.
Ellie performed well in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke events, enjoying the challenge of the international competition.
To finish off the weekend, Ellie secured a new PB in the 50m Breaststroke race to hit the wall as the fastest 16 year old.
Emma Speer (14) had a fantastic day at her first international event. Swimming her preferred 200m Breaststroke she improved her ranking by five places and was placed 11th fastest 14 year old, just missing out on the Age Group Finals.
Hannah Lynch (16) hit the wall 3rd in her age group in the 800m Freestyle, 3rd in the 400m Freestyle, 3rd in the 200m Backstroke and a fabulous 2nd in the gruelling 1500m Freestyle.
Kate McDade (17) continues to excel. Competing against an international field including Olympians, undaunted Kate swam long course PBs across 4 events and impressed by qualifying for finals in her favoured Breaststroke.
Kate placed 7th in 100m, 2nd in 200m finals and finished in the top 10 in the 50m event.
This was a massive accomplishment for the young Lakelander against much older and experienced athletes.
Club Chairperson Aideen Speer praised the swimmers’ efforts over the three-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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