AS A DYED-IN-THE-WOOL Galwegian, John Shortt admits to having very little grá for Mayo’s seismic All-Ireland win, certainly in terms of the bragging rights it has gifted his county’s greatest rivals.
Yet Shortt, the reigning European senior short-course champion and junior world champion, saw something familiar in the fearless way Kobe McDonald and his young team-mates took on more experienced opponents throughout the summer.
Currently preparing for next week’s European Aquatics Championships in Paris, Shortt sees plenty of parallels with his own situation.
At 19, he will line up against swimmers with years more experience in the championship cauldron and with stronger physiques. As McDonald, Eoin McGreal and Darragh Beirne did against Kerry in the All-Ireland final, Shortt is choosing to embrace that challenge.
“I’ve taken huge inspiration from those younger guys,” Shortt said. “Kobe and a couple of the other lads are only 18 or 19 and they’ve just finished the Leaving Cert.
Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
“They’re not afraid to take on those older guys. It’s a completely different sport but, at the end of the day, they have their one-on-one battles and so do I.
“These guys I’m against are very experienced. They’re older than I am in years and in physique. The main thing is feeding off them, learning from them and trying to get better. I want to be up with those guys this summer.”
But Shortt’s admiration for what happened in Croke Park on July 26 ends there.
“I was waiting for someone to ask me about Mayo,” he laughed. “Yeah, I was disgusted!
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“But at the same time I couldn’t help but be happy for them. You can never be angry or bitter about a team that gave 110 per cent.
“In saying all that, I’m absolutely so bitter that the fans get to enjoy it. I saw someone the other day saying they were ‘Mayo-adjacent’ because they were from Galway. I was absolutely disgusted!
“I’m delighted for the Mayo team, but the fans? I’m absolutely so spiteful!”
Jokes aside, Shortt heads to Paris in confident mood.
He announced himself on the senior stage last December by breaking the junior world record to win the 200m backstroke at the European Short Course Championships in Budapest.
He will contest the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events in Paris and is viewed as a genuine medal contender in the longer race. Preparations have gone exactly as planned.
“We’ve had a really solid summer,” he said. “There have been a few ups and downs but mostly it’s been really, really good. The last couple of weeks have been serious.”
Despite the expectations, Shortt insists he is not arriving feeling he has something to prove.
“I’ve proved a couple of times now that I can get up on a European or world stage and deliver,” he said. “Now it’s just about tipping away at my times, hopefully dropping more time and winning medals.
“But the ultimate focus isn’t trying to win as many medals as possible. It’s making sure I get through the rounds, keep improving and see if I can be competitive. Whatever happens after that, happens.”
Shortt says his parents have always encouraged him to enjoy swimming rather than become consumed by results.
“I don’t think they ever expected any of their kids to get to this sort of madness of doing interviews with RTÉ and all the rest of it,” he said.
“The main thing is always to try to stay happy. We’re really focused on our goals, but we’re also able to switch off when we get away from the pool and have a bit of craic.
“If you’re happy in training and before the big competitions, chances are you’ll be happy behind the blocks too. A happy swimmer is always a fast swimmer.”
And he’s clearly happy at the moment. Despite oppressive heat at last month’s outdoor Sette Colli meeting in Rome, Shortt collected multiple podium finishes and believes his times are confirming that he belongs among Europe’s leading backstrokers.
“I deserve to have a bit of confidence coming into this, but I’m still learning from the older guys and trying to get better,” he acknowledged.
He’s also realistic enough to know that highs are often followed by lows. Watching Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen battle through setbacks before claiming silver in the 1,500m freestyle at the Commonwealth Games offered a reminder of that. Wiffen is still not back to full fitness after dealing with appendicitis last year.
“Dan’s had a couple of setbacks but everybody knows how mentally strong he is,” Shortt said. “He’s still the best in the world in his opinion and that’s what I love about him. Taking a leaf out of his book is always nice.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“It’s so hard to stay positive all the time. I’d be the number one person to say that. I can be pretty negative sometimes.
“The main thing is not to infect other people with your negativity. If you’re having a bad session, keep it to yourself and then talk about it afterwards. Talking to teammates, friends, coaches and my parents is so important.”
After Paris, there will finally be time to switch off.
“My girlfriend thinks I’m the most boring man alive,” he laughed. “There’s not much fun during the season. We’ll have a couple of weeks off afterwards and then we’ll finally get away.”
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'The ultimate focus isn't trying to win as many medals as possible'
AS A DYED-IN-THE-WOOL Galwegian, John Shortt admits to having very little grá for Mayo’s seismic All-Ireland win, certainly in terms of the bragging rights it has gifted his county’s greatest rivals.
Yet Shortt, the reigning European senior short-course champion and junior world champion, saw something familiar in the fearless way Kobe McDonald and his young team-mates took on more experienced opponents throughout the summer.
Currently preparing for next week’s European Aquatics Championships in Paris, Shortt sees plenty of parallels with his own situation.
At 19, he will line up against swimmers with years more experience in the championship cauldron and with stronger physiques. As McDonald, Eoin McGreal and Darragh Beirne did against Kerry in the All-Ireland final, Shortt is choosing to embrace that challenge.
“I’ve taken huge inspiration from those younger guys,” Shortt said. “Kobe and a couple of the other lads are only 18 or 19 and they’ve just finished the Leaving Cert.
“They’re not afraid to take on those older guys. It’s a completely different sport but, at the end of the day, they have their one-on-one battles and so do I.
“These guys I’m against are very experienced. They’re older than I am in years and in physique. The main thing is feeding off them, learning from them and trying to get better. I want to be up with those guys this summer.”
But Shortt’s admiration for what happened in Croke Park on July 26 ends there.
“I was waiting for someone to ask me about Mayo,” he laughed. “Yeah, I was disgusted!
“But at the same time I couldn’t help but be happy for them. You can never be angry or bitter about a team that gave 110 per cent.
“I’m delighted for the Mayo team, but the fans? I’m absolutely so spiteful!”
Jokes aside, Shortt heads to Paris in confident mood.
He announced himself on the senior stage last December by breaking the junior world record to win the 200m backstroke at the European Short Course Championships in Budapest.
He will contest the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events in Paris and is viewed as a genuine medal contender in the longer race. Preparations have gone exactly as planned.
“We’ve had a really solid summer,” he said. “There have been a few ups and downs but mostly it’s been really, really good. The last couple of weeks have been serious.”
Despite the expectations, Shortt insists he is not arriving feeling he has something to prove.
“I’ve proved a couple of times now that I can get up on a European or world stage and deliver,” he said. “Now it’s just about tipping away at my times, hopefully dropping more time and winning medals.
“But the ultimate focus isn’t trying to win as many medals as possible. It’s making sure I get through the rounds, keep improving and see if I can be competitive. Whatever happens after that, happens.”
Shortt says his parents have always encouraged him to enjoy swimming rather than become consumed by results.
“I don’t think they ever expected any of their kids to get to this sort of madness of doing interviews with RTÉ and all the rest of it,” he said.
“The main thing is always to try to stay happy. We’re really focused on our goals, but we’re also able to switch off when we get away from the pool and have a bit of craic.
“If you’re happy in training and before the big competitions, chances are you’ll be happy behind the blocks too. A happy swimmer is always a fast swimmer.”
And he’s clearly happy at the moment. Despite oppressive heat at last month’s outdoor Sette Colli meeting in Rome, Shortt collected multiple podium finishes and believes his times are confirming that he belongs among Europe’s leading backstrokers.
“I deserve to have a bit of confidence coming into this, but I’m still learning from the older guys and trying to get better,” he acknowledged.
He’s also realistic enough to know that highs are often followed by lows. Watching Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen battle through setbacks before claiming silver in the 1,500m freestyle at the Commonwealth Games offered a reminder of that. Wiffen is still not back to full fitness after dealing with appendicitis last year.
“Dan’s had a couple of setbacks but everybody knows how mentally strong he is,” Shortt said. “He’s still the best in the world in his opinion and that’s what I love about him. Taking a leaf out of his book is always nice.
“It’s so hard to stay positive all the time. I’d be the number one person to say that. I can be pretty negative sometimes.
“The main thing is not to infect other people with your negativity. If you’re having a bad session, keep it to yourself and then talk about it afterwards. Talking to teammates, friends, coaches and my parents is so important.”
After Paris, there will finally be time to switch off.
“My girlfriend thinks I’m the most boring man alive,” he laughed. “There’s not much fun during the season. We’ll have a couple of weeks off afterwards and then we’ll finally get away.”
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European Championships John Shortt Swimming