LAST UPDATE | 18 May 2021
ANTRIM’S CONOR FERGUSON finished seventh in the 50m backstroke final at this evening’s European Championships.
Ferguson produced a personal best of 24.81 in the semi-finals on Monday to secure his place in today’s final with the sixth-fastest qualification time. He finished that semi-final behind Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov, who set a new world record of 23.93.
Kolesnikov went on to win gold in the final, with Ferguson seventh of eight finalists in a time of 24.92, 1.12 from Kolesnikov.
“Me and Kliment have been competing against each other since we were 15, 16 years old,” said Ferguson. “It’s just rapid to be here to see him do that and it sets the bar to show you what’s possible.”
Sligo’s Mona McSharry, meanwhile, will swim for a medal tomorrow in the 100m breaststroke having finished third in her semi-final this evening, in a time of 1:06.42. She had breezed into that semi-final earlier today, finishing second in her heat in a time of 1:06.97.
“I feel great! If you had told me I would swim 1:06 this year, I’d have been over the moon, and now I’ve just done two 1:06 swims in a few hours and, I don’t want to say easily, but comfortable enough that I know I could do it again”, said McSharry. “It just gives me so much confidence in the build-up to the Olympics.”
Elsewhere, Brendan Hyland, Max McCusker, Naomi Trait and Victoria Catterson hit 7:50.41 in the Mixed 4x200m Freestyle Relay final, finishing seventh and breaking the Irish Record they set this morning.
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