Irish swimmers continued their good form on day two of the European Swimming Championships in Glasgow. with both Brendan Hyland and Mona McSharry joining Shane Ryan in Saturday night's finals session.
Hyland progresses in eighth place overall after recording his second fastest 200m Butterfly swim ever. The National Centre Dublin swimmer touched third in his heat in 1:57.55, just one tenth of a second off his Irish Record (1:57.44). Featuring in his third European Senior Championships, it is the first time the Tallaght native will swim an individual semi-final.
A delighted Hyland said: “It’s been a while coming, so I’m happy, I was aware my heat swims are always a bit iffy but I’m glad to get back out and attack it and see what I can do. It’s my first time making a semi-final, I think I’ll just enjoy the race, not think about times and try and make that final.”
World Junior Champion Mona McSharry will swim in the 100m Breaststroke semi-final after clocking 1:08.53 in her heat. The 17-year-old is swimming her first European Championships as a senior athlete and will be looking to get close to her Irish Record of 1:07.10 to make Sunday’s final.
Also in action on Saturday morning was Athlone's Robbie Powell who made his first individual senior international debut in the 100m Freestyle. He touched third in his heat in 50.71, while Jordan Sloan warmed up for Monday's 200m Freestyle by touching in 50.34.
At 6.18pm Shane Ryan swims the 50m Backstroke Final. Ryan is ranked fourth going into the final after a 24.57 second swim in Friday night’s semi-final, however, the 24-year-old swam a best time of 24.32 in the heats and will be looking to lower that time to be in the mix for a medal.
European Swimming & Diving Championships, August 2nd-12th August 2018, Glasgow
Results Day 2 Heats:
Mens 100m Freestyle: Jordan Sloan H 50.34, Robbie Powell H 50.71
Womens 100m Breaststroke: Mona McSharry H 1:08.53
Mens 200m Butterfly: Brendan Hyland H 1:57.55
Schedule Day 2 Finals:
100m Breaststroke SF Mona McSharry 5.31pm
200m Butterfly SF Brendan Hyland 5.40pm
50m Backstroke Final Shane Ryan 6.18pm
