Ryan strikes pool’s gold!
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Making waves: Ryan Wray came home from the Irish Youth Swimming Championships with a gold medal.
Ryan Wray made serious waves at the Irish Youth/Open Long Course Swimming Championships recently when he came home with a five medal haul.
The 16-year-old St Patrick's College student secured gold in the 200m Breaststroke plus two silvers and two bronze at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin.
The Ballymena lad wasn't the only local swimmer showing their speed at the meet with both Matthew Harkness and Philip Carroll achieving personal bests.
The Championships are the highlight of the Irish swimming calendar to which Swim Ulster is affiliated and had been well supported by 58 swimming clubs throughout Ireland, nine of which from the North.
High standards had been set by the end of day one with new Irish records achieved by senior swimmers in the butterfly and freestyle events.
Olympian Aisling Cooney swam a 100m backstroke time trial in which she clocked a 1.02.94, and then departed for Beijing the next day with Ulster swimmers Andrew Bree and Melanie Nocher.
The calibre of swimming in Ireland was again reflected by four swimmers going on to represent Ireland in Belgrade, Serbia at the European Junior Championships 2008 and a team of twenty-seven swimmers, including Ballymena swimmer Matthew Harkness, travelling to Sheffield, England to compete at the ASA Youth Championships.
In the 16-year-old section of the Irish Youth/Open Championships local boys Ryan, Matthew, and Philip all made their mark.
Ryan undaunted by a hefty programme won gold in the 200m Breaststroke (2.39.94) just outside his personal best, silver in 100m Breaststroke (1.13.62) again just outside his personal best, silver and a personal best in 400m Individual Medlay, (5.01.86), bronze and a personal best in the 400m Freestyle (4.26.68) and bronze and a personal best in the 200m Individual Medley (2.19.96).
Ryan also achieved a personal best in the 100m FS (56.95) getting him into the finals in which he was placed 7th.
Matthew Harkness achieved personal bests in 50 FS (26.51), 100m Backstroke (1.08.44), 50m Fly ( 27.40) and 100m Fly (1.04.70) and Philip Carroll achieved personal bests in the 100m FS (59.70), 50m Fly (28.99), 100m Fly (1.04.34), 200m Individual Medlay (2.28.08).
The boys also helped their club (Larne) win gold in the mens 16-year-old 4 x 100 Free Style with a time of 3.50.04.
With continued support from the Ballymena Borough Council and Seven Towers Leisure Centre through the Sporting Excellence Support Scheme, hopefully all three swimmers will continue to progress with their individual targets whether it be Ulster Squad times or 2012 Squad times.
Watch this space!
