Local swimmer sets new PBs at McCullagh meet

SLIGO swimmer Dominic French impressed at the recent McCullagh International competition which took place over the weekend.

The 18-year-old, representing Longford Swimming Club, showcased remarkable talent over the course of the weekend.

This competition welcomed over 500 swimmers from 62 clubs to the Bangor Aurora Swimming Complex for an action packed four days of racing.

Participating in four events, Dominic demonstrated his prowess by competing in the faster morning heats and successfully advancing to the evening finals, where he exhibited even greater improvement.

Dominic excelled in the 200m and 400m individual medley (IM) events, as well as the 200m backstroke and 50m breaststroke. During the challenging 400m IM, which tests a swimmer’s skill in all four strokes.

Dominic surpassed expectations by finishing in under 5 minutes in the A final, clocking a personal best time of 4:59.25 long course, improving his previous best by 3.83 seconds.

This remarkable performance earned him an eight-place finish overall amongst the male competitors.

In the 200m backstroke, he continued to impress, shaving his personal best down to 2:19.18L in the Junior final.

The 200m IM event , held on the competition’s last day, was yet another platform for Dominic to perform at his best.

He dominated his heat, touching the wall first, and advanced to a very competitive final where he bettered his time once more, achieving a time of 2:17.05L, an improvement of 3.89 seconds, this performance placed him 9th overall in this event.

Based on his performance he has now successfully secured his spot at the upcoming Irish Open Championships at end of May.

Dominic’s success at this competition has elevated his standing both regionally and nationally and can be attributed to his unwavering commitment and diligent effort he has devoted to his sport.