ELLEN WALSHE HAS won her second gold medal at the European Aquatics Championships with a superb finish to the 200m individual medley.
The 24-year-old from Dublin backed up her 400m individual medley gold with a stunning final leg from lane one.
DOUBLE-GOLD MEDALLIST 🥇
Ellen Walshe, the Dublin swimmer, adds the 200m individual medley to her 400m IM gold medal from earlier in the week at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris #RTESportpic.twitter.com/Ln5qZPdRqn
It’s Ireland’s fourth medal from the championships, with Mona McSharry delivering the other pair, a silver and bronze in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.
“I actually can’t believe it. I don’t know how I was feeling coming into it but I’m just so shocked,” said Walshe, who is back in the pool shortly for the 200m butterfly semi-finals.
Ireland's two-time gold medal winner Ellen Walshe speaks to #RTESport in the immediate aftermath of her 200m IM victory pic.twitter.com/YZFxv7BB9a
It was a brilliantly paced race from Walshe, who was seventh of eight swimmers after the butterfly, turning 1.86 seconds behind Roos Vanotterdijk.
She climbed one place across both the backstroke and breaststroke legs, but had significantly squeezed the gap from 2.17 seconds to the Belgian at halfway to 1.02 seconds behind Britain’s Abbie Wood with 50 metres to swim.
Turning in fifth, she burned them all off in the final stretch. Her time of 2:09.81 was 0.26 seconds ahead of Italy’s Anita Gastaldi, with Vanotterdijk in third.
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Ellen Walshe celebrates. Giorgio Scala / INPHO
Giorgio Scala / INPHO / INPHO
Ellen Walshe celebrates with Abbie Wood after the race. Giorgio Scala / INPHO
Giorgio Scala / INPHO / INPHO
Minutes after receiving her gold medal and hearing Amhrán na bhFiann ring out around the Paris Aquatic Centre, Walshe was back in the pool for the 200m butterfly.
She carried on her flying form, posting a time of 2:08.96 for fourth place in her semi-final, which made her the fifth-fastest qualifier for the final.
Room for one more?
Ellen Walshe not to be weighed down by gold medals, soars into tomorrow's final of the women's 200m butterfly in Paris #RTESportpic.twitter.com/GO5pqpHei4
There was disappointment for Daniel Wiffen in the 1500m final as German teenager Johannes Liebmann smashed the world record in 14:26.79.
Wiffen, who took bronze at the Paris Olympics in this event, was tailed off in last place, hitting the wall in 15:06.30.
World Record Smashed!
Germany's Johannes Liebmann cruises to glory in the men's 1500m freestyle final in a time of 14:26.79, as Ireland's Daniel Wiffen finishes in 8th place #RTESportpic.twitter.com/IDOXepu3gm
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Ellen Walshe wins second gold medal at European Aquatics Championships
ELLEN WALSHE HAS won her second gold medal at the European Aquatics Championships with a superb finish to the 200m individual medley.
The 24-year-old from Dublin backed up her 400m individual medley gold with a stunning final leg from lane one.
It’s Ireland’s fourth medal from the championships, with Mona McSharry delivering the other pair, a silver and bronze in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.
“I actually can’t believe it. I don’t know how I was feeling coming into it but I’m just so shocked,” said Walshe, who is back in the pool shortly for the 200m butterfly semi-finals.
It was a brilliantly paced race from Walshe, who was seventh of eight swimmers after the butterfly, turning 1.86 seconds behind Roos Vanotterdijk.
She climbed one place across both the backstroke and breaststroke legs, but had significantly squeezed the gap from 2.17 seconds to the Belgian at halfway to 1.02 seconds behind Britain’s Abbie Wood with 50 metres to swim.
Turning in fifth, she burned them all off in the final stretch. Her time of 2:09.81 was 0.26 seconds ahead of Italy’s Anita Gastaldi, with Vanotterdijk in third.
Minutes after receiving her gold medal and hearing Amhrán na bhFiann ring out around the Paris Aquatic Centre, Walshe was back in the pool for the 200m butterfly.
She carried on her flying form, posting a time of 2:08.96 for fourth place in her semi-final, which made her the fifth-fastest qualifier for the final.
There was disappointment for Daniel Wiffen in the 1500m final as German teenager Johannes Liebmann smashed the world record in 14:26.79.
Wiffen, who took bronze at the Paris Olympics in this event, was tailed off in last place, hitting the wall in 15:06.30.
There will be more finals to look forward to as Tom Fannon and McSharry earned semi-final progression.
Fannon finished fifth in his 50m freestyle semi-final in 21.65 seconds, which ranked his as sixth fastest across both semis.
McSharry came third in her 50m breaststroke semi-final. Her time of 30.43 seconds was seventh-fastest heading into the final.
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