IRELAND’S DANIELLE HILL has broken the minute barrier to secure Olympic qualification time.
Competing at the Irish Open Swimming Championships, the 24-year-old produced an Irish and Championship Record of 59.11 in the 100m Backstroke.
The Larne native is also the first Irishwoman to swim under the one-minute mark at the event.
Comfortably eclipsing the target of 59.99, Hill is now well-placed for a spot on the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay.
She joins fellow Irish swimmers Daniel Wiffen, Ellen Walshe and Mona McSharry in achieving the qualification time for Paris.
Hill said afterwards: “We all know what happened last time [Tokyo], I was so narrowly close, I think this time, I had that 59.99, the first Irish woman to go sub one minute, and I just wanted to cement it, I didn’t want any questions asked, I just went for it and thankfully dipped under.
“It’s pretty special I have to say [to qualify for a second Olympics], it’s probably a little bit more special than the first because I know where I’ve been the past two or three years, I know where I was nine months ago, ready to walk away from the sport. This, to me, is a relief, but I’m ready to go again now.”
Meanwhile, Conor Ferguson narrowly missed the Olympic qualification time (53.74), clocking 54.12.
The Loughborough native performed a better time of 53.87 in this morning’s heats and will have another chance in Thursday’s Super Final.
Limerick’s Ellie McCartney was the fastest qualifier from the 200m Individual Medley for tomorrow’s Super Final.
The 19-year-old’s time of 2:14.92 resulted in her being under the consideration time for the European Championships next month.
In the Men’s 200m Freestyle, Evan Bailey, Cormac Rynn and Jack Cassin were all under the European Championships Consideration Time, with Bailey producing a new Irish Junior Record of 1:48.49 earlier.
Banbridge’s Alana Burns-Atkin also progressed to tomorrow’s Super Final as the top seed with a time of 2:17.77.
Tokyo Olympian Darragh Greene will be among several other Irish athletes involved on Thursday, as he competes in the 100m Breaststroke Heats.
