OLYMPIC HOPEFUL MELANIE NOCHER swam a new personal best to win the women’s 100m backstroke on day two of the Irish Open Long Course Championships yesterday.
Nocher shaved almost three-tenths of a second off her semi-final time to win in 1:01.92, well outside the Olympic qualifying standard, but her main focus will be on the 200m backstroke when it begins in Abbotstown today.
Sycerika McMahon still needs to improve if she is to qualify for her top event, the 100m breaststroke. The 16-year-old European Junior medallist qualified for today’s final, but was more than two seconds outside the mark which would guarantee her a place at her first Olympic games.
In the final of the women’s 50m butterfly, McMahon was pipped by Waterford’s Shauna O’Brien. O’Brien took gold in 28.29 seconds with McMahon chasing home for silver in 28.65.
In the men’s events, there was joy for Portmarnock’s Karl Burdis. Burdis won the men’s 100m backstroke final in a time of 55.90 and qualified for the European Senior Championships in Hungary this May.
The men’s 400m individual medley was won by Niall Wynn from NUIM in 4:32.81, while Lydia Kehoe from New Ross SC won the women’s event in 5:18.80.
Aer Lingus won the men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay (8:04.87) while the ladies of Lisburn (8:59.79) pipped ESB to the women’s gold.
