Gold for Ellie McCartney at European U23 Championship
Irish swimmer Ellie McCartney claimed the gold medal in the women's 200m individual medley event at the European Under-23 Championships in Slovakia.
McCartney took gold in a time of 2:12.50 and was 1.22 seconds ahead of second-placed Bertille Cousan of France with Slovakia's Tamara Potocka claiming bronze.
Sitting in third place after the the butterfly and backstroke legs of the race, McCartney powered to the front during her favoured breaststroke leg and was able to hold that lead in the final freestyle leg.
The 20-year-old ensures that the title stays in Ireland after Ellen Walshe claimed victory in the inaugural edition of the race at these championships, winning in Dublin in 2023.
"I'm definitely excited, I wasn't expecting it," McCartney said.
"Coming in (to the final) I knew I was fastest seed but I knew the other girls had faster times in them, their PBs were quite a bit faster than mine, so you just get in, race who's there on the day and get your hand to the wall first and to get my hand on the wall first is really exciting.
"Not only that, but for Irish swimming, every time this has been raced at U23s it's been Irish girls who won it, so exciting for the future ahead to see who we can pass the baton on to win the 200m IM next."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
Irish football legend John Giles brings near 40-year punditry career to an end
The 42 JOHN GILES HAS called an end to his near-40-year punditry career at the age of 84, today announcing his intention to step back from his weekly Thursday slot with Off the Ball. Giles has been providing punditry for Off the Ball since the show's inception in 2002, but has now made the decision to call it a day. 'John Giles, Senior Analyst, is a titan of Irish sport', said Ger Gilroy of Off the ball. 'His weekly explanation of football truth on Off The Ball helped deepen what the country knows about football. His ability to see through bullshit and his love of the game shone through in every contribution.' Having left the West Brom manager's job in 1985, Giles first moved into media by doing punditry for RTÉ for the 1986 World Cup, agreeing to the role at Eamon Dunphy's behest. Giles and Dunphy were later joined by Liam Brady, and the trio formed the iconic RTÉ panel, which consistently shaped the conversation around football in Ireland. Advertisement Giles was the appointed 'senior analyst', whose tactical insights and innovative use of technology was buttressed by wise insights into the character of footballers along with a very low tolerance for bullshit. Giles also established a kind of canon for the sport, making clear there was a difference between a great player and a merely good player. Giles stepped away from RTÉ after Euro 2016, with Dunphy retiring two years later. Brady then left RTÉ in 2023. Giles and Brady continued to make regular appearances on Dunphy's popular podcast series The Stand, from which Dunphy stepped back at the start of this year. Giles continued his work with Off the Ball up to the end of the recent English football season, but will not return when the new season kicks off in August. Off the Ball will bid farewell to Giles at a special event at the Sugar Club in Dublin on 14 August, for which ticket details will be announced in due course. Written by Gavin Cooney and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
The Irish rugby club in Perth buzzing to have the Lions in town
THERE WILL BE thousands of Irish fans travelling Down Under in the next few weeks to be part of the Lions' famous 'Sea of Red.' Given the hefty Irish representation in the Lions squad and staff, there has never been more reason to make the trek. But this tour is also significant for the Irish who call Australia home. Around 2.5 million people there have Irish heritage and more than 100,000 Irish-born people are living Down Under. We're talking about roughly 10% of all Australians being connected to Ireland. So a green-tinged Lions tour is very welcome indeed. And the Lions' first stop on tour is a case in point. Perth is a popular destination among the estimated 40,000 Irish people who emigrate to Australia annually. Mining, construction, and medical jobs are big draws, as is the chilled-out lifestyle and natural beauty on the west coast. Tralee man Brendan O'Mahony – who has been in Perth for 14 years – is a project manager with Civmec, a construction and engineering company that was involved in building Optus Stadium, the venue for the Lions' opening game against Western Force on Saturday. O'Mahony is also the president of Perth Irish RFC, who are celebrating their 10th season as a club. Lions fever has been rife among Perth Irish and they welcomed the tourists' chairman, Ieuan Evans, and CEO, Ben Calveley, down to their home at Centenary Park earlier this week. All the local senior competitions have a bye this weekend because of the Lions' visit, but Perth Irish are hosting a junior rugby carnival on Saturday morning. Optus Stadium in Perth. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Most people involved in Perth Irish will then be at the Western Force game on Saturday evening and many of them will fly to the east coast to be at one or more of the Lions' Tests against the Wallabies. 'Rugby union is struggling in Australia but within our expat circle, there's a lot of excitement around the Lions,' says O'Mahony. 'Thankfully, the Wallabies have started to pick their socks up a little bit. Two years ago, it wasn't looking good for a Lions tour, but I think they'll give them a good match now.' Advertisement Whatever about the Wallabies' renewal under Joe Schmidt, there's no doubt that Perth Irish hope to keep going from strength to strength. The club was founded in early 2016. Seamus Walsh, a Waterford man, had been bringing his son to play junior rugby elsewhere and couldn't help but notice how many Irish kids and parents there were. We could nearly start our own thing, he thought. So they did. A meeting took place at the Irish Club of Western Australia in the Subiaco suburb of Perth. Walsh and some friends formed the rugby club and took to Facebook to get the message out. O'Mahony was among a group of around 40 lads who turned up for the first few training sessions. He played in the club's first-ever trial game against Curtin University in March 2016. 'It was a tough slog for a couple of years,' says O'Mahony, 'but it was always good fun and it was all about growing the club.' The Perth Irish women's team. Perth Irish RFC Perth Irish RFC Perth Irish expanded slowly but surely and they won their first silverware in 2019 with Western Australia Championship Grade success, which remains their only title so far. The women's team was launched in 2017, another big milestone. But then Covid hit and almost killed the club. They just about clung on and launched their 'second phase' in 2022, using what tiny amount of money was left in the club account to hire an online marketing specialist to get their name out to the Perth public. Nowadays, Perth Irish have more than 100 registered adult players between two men's and one women's teams, as well as around 45 junior players. Premier Grade is the highest level of club rugby in Western Australia and Perth Irish aren't at those lofty heights yet, playing instead in the Championship Grade competition. There is a crop of Irish expats involved in the Premier Grade competition, but Perth Irish have had a few former All-Ireland League players through the club over the past decade. They even welcomed ex-Leinster number eight Leo Auva'a in for a short stint. 'You wouldn't want to be standing in front of him,' says O'Mahony with a laugh. Perth Irish are always keen to let people know that the club isn't just for those with Irish roots. They have even debated whether the name is holding them back a bit, but the message is getting out there. They've had 23 different nationalities play for the club. They currently have four Kenyan players – one of whom is among their leading lights – and they've had English, Scottish, Welsh, Australian, Kiwi, and even Japanese players at different stages. Everyone gets a good Irish welcome. Some of the junior players in Perth Irish. Perth Irish RFC Perth Irish RFC As well as the other rugby clubs in Perth, there is competition from the many other sporting codes. There are two local Australian rules teams in the AFL – both play in Optus Stadium – while cricket, soccer, basketball, netball, and field hockey are all popular. A rugby league club, Perth Bears, are due to join the NRL in 2027. Then you have the Irish competition. The Gaelic Athletic Association of Western Australia is made up of seven football clubs and four hurling teams. So the natives and expats alike have plenty of choice. Perth Irish will be hoping this Lions tour gives rugby union a much-needed boost. And they will welcome any future arrivals from Ireland with a typical céad míle fáilte. 'Perth is not a big city, it's probably no bigger than Cork,' says O'Mahony of living there. 'It's all spread out in the suburbs and it doesn't feel like you're living in a big city. It doesn't feel like a big rat race. 'It's a lot more laid-back, a good beachy vibe, you've got Margaret River down the road. It's a nice way of living. 'I do feel like there's always a preconceived notion of Australia where everybody's reference point is Home & Away, so they think we're surfing before work and at lunchtime and we go down and buy a juice off Alf Stewart and all that carry on. 'But no, we work hard over here. I reckon that the Irish at this stage probably have a better work-life balance than we do over here. 'So you do work hard but when you're off, it's a beautiful place. For nine or 10 months of the year, you don't even need to check the forecast. That makes a difference.' Having the Lions in town this week has made it even more enjoyable.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ireland's Ellie McCartney wins gold at European Under-23 Championships
Ireland's Ellie McCartney won gold in the women's 200m individual medley at the European Under-23 Championships in Slovakia on Thursday night The 20-year-old from Enniskillen made it back-to-back wins for Irish swimmers in the event after Ellen Walshe won the inaugural edition in Dublin in 2023. Third after the butterfly and backstroke legs, McCartney surged through her favoured breaststroke leg in 37.41 to hold an almost two-second lead going into the freestyle leg, a lead she never relinquished. She won by 1.22 seconds in 2:12.50 over France's Bertille Cousson, smashing her previous PB of 2:14.09. That will see her considered for the Ireland team for World Aquatics Championships in Singapore as she dipped under the qualification time of 2:12.83. READ MORE McCartney will be back in action on Friday morning in the heats of the 100m breaststroke. Meanwhile, Mona McSharry swam a season's best 1:06.86 in the 100m breaststroke final to claim a silver medal at the prestigious Sette Colli meet in Rome. Britain's Angharad Evans took gold in 1:06.33.
