Danielle Hill is Ireland’s latest European Champion following a showstopping performance on night four of the 2024 European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
Hill etched her name into the Irish swimming history books with a gold-standard time of 27.73 in the Women’s 50 Backstroke Final.
Hill’s gold medal is her first international medal and makes the first Irish female to strike gold in a senior European Championships (50m) in 27 years, it is also the first European Championship medal in a long-course pool since Shane Ryan’s bronze in 2018.
The Larne swimmer headed to the blocks as a hot favourite, coming through the rounds as the top seed in both the heats and semi-final. As the start signal went off, Hill let go of the backstroke ledges the quickest with a reaction time of 0.51, holding onto the lead throughout as she blazed down the water for one length. Hill stopped the clock .14 of a second ahead of Greek swimmer Theodora Drakou to take the European crown.
“That was goosebumps right there. I think it will take a while to sink, but with five weeks out from Paris, it is a really nice confidence boost for me,” she said after the race. It was about ironing out anything that needed to be finalised ahead of Paris; it’s pretty nice.”
“I’ve a full team at home who I know are a little bit late going into the session because they were all sitting watching me. Everything that Team Larne has created these past years hasn’t been one or two years; it’s been 12 years of hard work to get to this point. Peter (Larne Head Coach) can’t be here but it’s all down to his hard work, he is the man behind all this.”
“I’m so proud; it’s probably the main reason I’m involved in swimming. Money, medals, whatever it is nice if I can inspire a little kid, male or female, then that will be my job done in this sport.”
“The nerves are still there. I don’t really believe what I’ve done, but I have a 100m Backstroke tomorrow, so unfortunately, I’ve got to pack this and see what we can do tomorrow morning.”
Eoin Corby was also in Finals action on Thursday, competing in the 200m Breaststroke, his first individual final in a senior international competition. Corby came home in 2:12.71 to place seventh in Europe.
Ellie McCartney put on yet another impressive performance in the 200m Breaststroke as she progressed from the semi-final to the final as the fifth-fastest qualifier in a time of 2:26.76. McCartney shaved nearly a full two seconds off her personal best time of 2:28.63 that she set in the morning heat swim. McCartney will compete in her first senior international final in a 50-metre pool tomorrow at 6:13 pm (IRL).
Conor Ferguson advanced into the 50-meter Backstroke Final this evening with a seventh-place finish. Ferguson went quicker than his morning swim (25.55), stopping the clock at 25.01 tonight. The 50-meter Backstroke Final will get underway at 6:54 p.m. (IRL).
Day five of seven will see Danielle Hill back in action, swimming in the 100m Backstroke, an event she recently achieved the Olympic Qualification Time in at the Irish Olympic Trials. Joining Hill in the same event will be Lottie Cullen. Eoin Corby will continue his busy week in Belgrade, this time featuring in the 50m Breaststroke, while Jack Cassin (200 Butterfly), Ellie McCartney (200 Medley), and Nathan Wiffen (1500) are all back in the pool.
At the Serbian Institute of Sport 1M Springboard Finalist Clare Cryan returns to the boards for the 3M Springboard Preliminaries.
The Championships are streaming live on Eurovision Sport.
In Rome at the Sette Colli International Meet, Paris-qualified athletes Daniel Wiffen (400m Freestyle), Ellen Walshe (50m Butterfly) and Tom Fannon (50m Freestyle) will be in action as well as Victoria Catterson (200m Freestyle), Darragh Greene (100m Breaststroke) and Max McCusker (100m Butterfly).
Sport for Business will host its Annual Women in Sport Conference on Thursday, November 28th. This is one of many events planned for the remainder of 2024.
Register your interest to attend a Sport for Business event here.
Swim Ireland are among the 300 organisations, which include all the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies, that are members of the Sport for Business community.
Find out more about joining us today.
Check out our upcoming events to discover ways of connecting in person with our membership.
