November 06, 2021

National Centre Limerick's Eoin Corby on Saturday achieved Ireland's first Semi-Final spot at the 2021 LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships, as team mate Molly Mayne set her first Irish Junior Record.

Last December Corby himself set an Irish Junior Record of 54.76 in short course (25m pool) 100m Individual Medley, and in that event in Kazan he posted 55.11 in the heats to qualify for the Semi-Final in 16th place.

This was the only Semi-Final spot Ireland's young team earned at this senior championships, and Corby did not waste the opportunity, swimming a big personal best of 54.47 to sign off Ireland's time in Russia in style.

The effort saw him finish 16th overall, with the 15th placed swimmer touching the wall just 0.02s outside the Irish Senior Record of 54.32.

Corby also contested the 50m Breaststroke heats on Saturday morning, clocking 27.61 to finish 26th overall.

It was in that event that Mayne achieved a new Irish Junior Record, when she touched the wall in 27.54 to lower Tokyo 2020 Olympian Ellen Walshe's record by just 0.01s.

Female swimmers are eligible to earn junior records until their 17th birthday, so with Mayne having only turned 16 in 2021, she could yet add plenty more to her CV.

Coached by Ash Morris at Hamilton Aquatics in Dubai, Mayne also posted her second-fastest short course 50m Breaststroke on Saturday, swimming 31:37 to finish 29th overall in some stiff senior company.

These performances add to the six personal bests she set earlier this season at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Doha, and the personal best she swam in Kazan on Friday.

These performances also add to the two personal best times that 16-year-old Grace Hodgins swam at the European Championships earlier this week, on her international debut for Ireland.

LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2021

Irish Team

Eoin Corby, 19, National Centre Limerick

Events: 50m, 100m, 200m Breaststroke, 100m Individual Medley

Grace Hodgins, 16, Trojan Swimming Club

Events: 800m, 1500m Freestyle

Molly Mayne, 16, Hamilton Aquatics

Events: 50m, 100m, 200m Breaststroke, 50m Butterfly, 100m, 200m Individual Medley

Team Leader: National Centre Limerick Head Coach John Szaranek

Assistant Coach: Trojan Swimming Club Coach Jonathan Preston

Live Results: kazan2021.microplustiming.com

Track Records: Irish National Short Course Records (Updated Sep 20, 2021)