IRELAND’S ELLEN WALSHE has won a silver medal in the 400m Individual Medley at the World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi today. 

The 20-year-old Dubliner broke the Irish record she’d set in the heats, coming home in 4:30:78 behind Tessa Cielucha of Canada. 

It’s Ireland’s second-ever medal at a World Championships and the first-ever in an Olympic event.

“It doesn’t feel real yet,” Walshe said. “I knew it was going to be a fast field. It’s just really nice to walk out for my family, friends and country.

“It feels great to get on the podium, I haven’t been there in quite a while. Tessa [Cieplucha] who won it is a team-mate of mine in University of Tennessee, so it’s really nice that I get to stand on the podium with her later today.”

Mona McSharry, meanwhile, also broke an Irish record in the 50m Breaststroke event, claiming a place in tomorrow’s final. She recorded a time of 29.65. 

The Men’s 4x100m relay team claimed yet another Irish record. Calum Bain, Brendan Hyland, Jack McMillan and Jordan Sloan sealed a time of 3:12.94, earning them a ninth-place finish in their heat.