SWIM IRELAND’S HIGH performance director Peter Banks has promised there will be no repeat of the mix-up which has led to Sycerika McMahon devastated, and sitting out her strongest event.
McMahon is the Irish record holder for the 50 metre breaststroke, yet won’t compete as she had been unaware that her A standard from May 2012 did not apply for next week’s World Championships.
“It’s very, very frustrating. It’s kind of devastating, to be honest,” the 18-year-old told TheScore.ie yesterday.
“I had qualified back in May (2012) in the 50 metre and 100 metre breaststroke. I did the FINA ‘A’ standard and I was the only one to qualify for that. I didn’t realise that the qualification period was between July 1 2012 and July 1 2013 so no one told me.”
Despite the cut-off time approaching this year, the Co. Down Olympian was not alerted and will now have to watch on as Fiona Doyle, fresh from medal success at the World University Games, instead takes to the blocks with an A standard in an event they both normally call home.
“Maybe we should have made it a little bit clearer,” Banks said. “It was the same regulations as it was last year for the Olympics, the same sort of thing, but maybe it was a misunderstanding on our part. But it was a learning and we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again and they’re very aware of it.”
For the US-bound swimmer, the frustration is down to a six-month period of planning preparation where she felt the required times had already been reached. McMahon began focusing on other techniques and distances and, latterly, had training focused on breaststroke ahead of the 100 and 200 metre freestyle and the 200 metre individual medley.
“All throughout the year, I thought ‘well I’ve already qualified so there’s no point in swimming breaststroke at nationals’.“So I just posted some times in events that I don’t normally do. Unfortunately a week and a half or two weeks ago, I got a phonecall saying ‘sorry, you can’t swim your events because you didn’t qualify within a certain time-frame’”.
When the news broke of her exclusion from the 50 metre race, there had been fears that McMahon’s funding could be adversely affected by the reduced opportunity to achieve in her best event. However, Banks yesterday offered reassurance that the funding, in this instance, will not be hit.
“No, funding is based on potential. We don’t look at one performance, we look at what athletes we have in the program, what their potential is for the next three years.
“So those sort of things are not issues. As far as Swim Ireland is concerned she is on track, she is where she needs to be. Whatever she needs to be supported like any other athlete at this level, we’ll support her as long as training and everything is going in the right direction.”
