Top performances by Sligo Swim Club Masters in Ulster

Irish Independent

6 days ago

This was the team's third year in a row to visit the splendid South Lake Sports Complex, that is arguably the most aesthetically pleasing swimming location in the country. Its 50 and 25 metre pools are complemented by other sporting amenities, walking tracks, and an excellent cafe. Unfortunately, the Sligo team was unexpectedly depleted at the last minute when 'medal magnets' Evan Kelly, David Bartley and Aoife Cannon had to withdraw due to injuries.
However, the four remaining Sligo swimmers put in top performances to win multiplex medals and establishing Personal Best times (PBs) and Connaught records thereby maintaining Sligo's proud winning tradition in Ulster.
The team brought home 6x Gold, 4x Silver and 1x Bronze medals. Tim Doran opened the gala for Sligo by competing in the 200M Individual Medley (IM). This is a new event for Doran but he delivered a powerful backstroke and breaststroke performance that was sandwiched between his usual elite level butterfly and freestyle - securing a Gold Medal, a PB, and a new Connaught Record in his age category (35-39).
Aidan Mackey, in his second ever gala, kicked off with the 400m Freestyle. His double training sessions over the past months built up a strong fitness base that made the difference in the latter part of his race. This resulted in Mackey lowering his PB by 3 seconds and taking a second Gold Medal for Sligo in his age category (50-54).
Next up, had Doran back in the pool for the 100M butterfly. Even though he is in the final year of his current age category, he won his second Gold medal in a very tight race - making it 3 races, 3 Gold medals for Sligo.
Enda Eames, who has the distinction of competing for Sligo Masters in every national and provincial gala since 2022, continued the medal count by taking a Silver medal in the 50M backstroke. Even though he is in the final year of his age category (65-69), he still had enough speed to overtake his 'younger' competitors in a time that is just short of his PB.
The busy Sligo schedule continued with Mackey back on the blocks for the 400M Freestyle. His fitness levels were again severely tested but he didn't disappoint - winning a Silver medal through a consistent high pace that reduced his PB by an amazing 12 seconds.
The morning's session had Sligo winning 3x Golds and 2x Silvers from 5 races.
The afternoon session started with the Medley Relays…but Sligo unfortunately couldn't participate due to the diminished team numbers. However, there were three competitors in the blue ribbon event - the 100m Freestyle.
Eames was first up and he missed out on a bronze medal in a tight race and was just short of his PB and Connaught record gained at the recent National Championships. Next was Mackey…who showed he has real speed as well as endurance by taking a Silver medal in a time just outside his PB.
Then came what was arguably the 'swim of the meet' with Doran producing an extraordinary performance in winning the Gold medal in his 100M freestyle race. Tim's time was the fastest across all age categories (some of his competitors were 10 years younger) and just a fraction of a second outside his PB.
The final sprint races had Eames and Doran compete in the 50M freestyle. This was already a very successful gala for Sligo but there were more medals to come.
Eames was up first and delivered a Bronze medal with a flying start to lead a group of evenly matched swimmers. The Masters event is unusual in that the swimmers, both male and female, are lined up (seeded) based on their PB's, with the slowest swimmers in 'Heat 1'. So in Enda's case in 'Heat 6', he was competing against seven swimmers aged between 26 to 53…with him being 69. When the race is finished, the swimmer's times are spread across the respective age categories to determine the medal ranking and also to determine provincial and national records.
Having blitzed everyone in the 100M, Doran had a target on his back when he stepped up onto the starting blocks for his 50M. Again, he didn't disappoint and after his usual flying start…led from start to finish to win his 4th Gold medal. Tim achieved a clean sweep across all his events…but always the perfectionist, was disappointed that he missed his PB (and Connaught record) by 0:00.01 seconds! The final event of the day was the gruelling 1,500M freestyle and the Sligo Masters 'top gun' in these long distance events - both in the pool and open water, is Shane O'Doherty. As usual 'he came, he swam, and won another Gold medal'. His fitness, ability to keep a high-tempo consistent pace, and maintaining the 'technical' aspects of his stroke - means Shane's time in the 45-49 category was faster than every male swimmer at the event other than the winner in the 25-29 age category. Not to be completely overshadowed was Aidan Mackey taking on the 1,500M distance for the first time. This was his fourth race and such is his mental toughness and endurance that Aidan won a Silver medal in a sub-25 minute time. This completed a haul of 1x Gold and 3x Silver medals plus 3x PB's.
The Sligo Masters team will now be taking to the open water over the summer and hoping to hit the same heights. The return to the pool will be for the Ulster 'short course' championships at the end of October in Newry, Co. Down, which will be followed by the National 'short course' championships at the National Aquatic Centre (Dublin) in November. The team would like to acknowledge their County Sligo Swim Club (CSSC) coaches, especially the lead Masters coach Elaine Stafford as well as Evan and Kevin, who deliver the highest levels of quality training and technical mentorship that are essential to successfully compete at these events.