Barry McClements was the only Irish athlete in action during the heats on Day 5 of the World Para Swimming Allianz Championships at the London Aquatic Centre. McClements produced a strong performance to finish in 4th place in his heat but misses out on a place in the final by 5 hundredths of a second, the second time this week that he has missed a final by less than half of a second.
The 17 year old Ards swimmer, who was the youngest swimmer in the pool, adopted a bold strategy by leading from the front in the early lengths. Barry was second after 100 metres and even took the lead after the third length before falling back to second at the 4th turn and from there on he maintained 4th place. In an agonising final length Barry couldn’t quite find the extra burst he needed to secure a qualification time for the final.
Barry, who missed 5 weeks out of the pool with illness at the beginning of the Summer, was happy with his performance despite narrowly missing out on a place in the final.
“Obviously I missed the 100 fly by 0.2sec of getting into a final, clearly I was mentally strong enough to try and get into another final there so ya, I’m happy with myself.”
Barry is only 17 years old and won’t turn 18 until this December but he relished the experience of racing against some of the world’s best including world record holder, Brendan Hall from Australia.
“That’s my first time swimming the 400m against the world record holder, Brendan Hall, that guy is basically a legend in this class, it’s a good experience swimming against some of the best athletes in the class aswell.”
See full post race interview with Barry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rds75d8w6Q&feature=youtu.be
Barry will return to the pool tomorrow for the 200m Individual Medley. Amy Marren was also due to compete this morning but injury has prevented her from competing. However, Amy will be part of the first ever Irish Para Swimming Relay team when she joins Ellen Keane, Nicole Turner and Ailbhe Kelly at the start blocks in a race that will also be Kelly’s final competitive international race.
World Para Swimming Allianz Championships Day 5 Result
Barry McClements, Men’s 400m Freestyle S9, 4:29:20, 4th. *Barry is on standby for the final
Amy Marren, Women’s 400m Freestyle S9. Withdrew due to injury
Finals:
Team Ireland, Women’s Med Relay, 4 x 100m, 9:00pm
World Para Swimming Allianz Championships Day 6 Schedule
Barry McClements 200m Individual Medley 12:11pm Final 8:12pm
Amy Marren 200m Individual Medley 12:21pm
Ellen Keane 200m Individual Medley 12:21pm Final 8:17pm
Nicole Turner 50m Fly 12:37pm Final 8:36pm
