The Irish trio of Ailbhe Kelly, James Scully and Nicole Turner got the World Para Swimming Allianz European Championships off to a strong start as all 3 Team Ireland competitors reached the finals in their respective events.
After a strong performance in his heat James Scully was the first of the Irish to compete in the final where he competed well in the 200m Freestyle S5 Final as he took fifth place in an incredible race where the world record fell in the very first final of the championships thanks to a blistering 2:23:65 time from Italian, Francesco Bocciardo.
Nicole Turner returned to the pool placed 6th in the Women’s 50m Freestyle S6 Final in 36:52 but will be happy knowing that her strongest events come later in the week. Ailbhe Kelly will also be satisfied with her performance in the Women’s 200m Individual SM8 Final where she recorded her second fastest ever time, bettered only by her performance in the earlier heat. Ailbhe complete the race in 3:16:82 which was good enough for 7th place.
It will be a busy day for the Irish in the pool tomorrow with Nicole Turner and Ailbhe Kelly returning to action as Patrick Flanagan, Barry McClements, Jonathan McGrath and Sean O’Riordan all feature for the first time at Dublin 2018:
Patrick Flanagan Men’s 200m IM SM6 10:07am
Nicole Turner Women’s 200M IM SM6 10:28am
Jonathan McGrath Men’s 400m Freestyle S8 10:46am
Nicole Turner Women’s 200M IM SM6 10:28am
Ailbhe Kelly Women’s 400M Freestyle S8 11:02am
Barry McClements Men’s 100M Freestyle S9 12:10am
The World Para Swimming Allianz European Championships are supported by Paralympics Ireland, Sport Ireland, Swim Ireland and Fáilte Ireland.
World Para Swimming: Allianz European Championships
Allianz is an Official Supporter of Paralympics Ireland and title sponsor of this year’s World Para Swimming: Allianz European Championships which are being held at the National Aquatic Centre in Abbotstown from August 13th – 19th.
Event fact-sheet:
- Over 400 athletes from 38 countries will compete in the biggest ever international Para event hosted in Ireland;
- Patrick Flanagan, Ellen Keane, Ailbhe Kelly, Barry McClements, Jonathan McGrath, Sean O’Riordan, James Scully and Nicole Turner will be the 8 person Irish team that are set to go for gold;
- The competition will be televised daily by TG4 and also be livestreamed on punditarena.ie and on the RTE Player;
Notes: Imagery from the Allianz Para Swimming European Championships Day 1 are available FOC from Sportsfile
About Allianz:
- Allianz has supported people and communities since 1890 and is a long-standing advocate of elite disability sport, in Ireland and internationally;
- In 2006 Allianz SE initiated its partnership with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC);
- In 2012 Allianz Ireland became partner to Paralympics Ireland and, with objective of creating parity of esteem between able bodied and disability sport, facilitated the live broadcasting of the 2012 London Games on Setanta Sports;
- In 2016 during the Rio Paralympic Games, Allianz facilitated the broadcasting of the games on RTE
- Allianz is a sponsor of Michael McKillop, Jason Smyth and Ellen Keane, who features in their recent TV advertising campaign
