Ireland’s John Shortt was last night crowned European 200m Backstroke Champion at the European Aquatics Championships in Poland.
In winning his first senior international medal, the 2025 European and World Junior Champion set a new World Junior Record, European Junior Record and Championship Record of 1:47.89. It’s also the third time in two days that Shortt has broken his Irish Senior and Junior Records.
An emotional Shortt spoke after the race, “Just really proud, you know. I’d be a massive liar if I said I didn’t think I had that in me. I honestly didn’t really think I was going to lose that. I just felt something last night, where I just felt unbeatable and, you know, now it’s just pride, it’s just washing over me now, and I just honestly can’t believe it, it’s amazing.”
“I’ve won medals in the past before, but that’s at junior level and now I’m with the big boys and I don’t know, I stood with my heart on my sleeve, you know, I’m a passionate person, I’m so passionate for this flag that’s wrapped around me, I mean, the people that have come and gone in this sport, I’m just doing it for them really, and doing it for the people back home who aren’t here and, you know, I’m just so proud, like it’s the only word I can describe is just to be proud of wearing this flag and repping the flag in the pool on the hat as well.”
After receiving his medal from Swim Ireland CEO Sarah Keane, and hearing the Irish National anthem ring out around the stadium, he added, “I absolutely love that national anthem, it gives me chills every single time. I’m proud to be standing there as an Irishman with a gold medal around my neck, singing the national anthem. The beauty of Irish swimming is that it doesn’t matter where we come from, it does not matter. We are all under the same flag and to share this moment with them is something that I will take forward for the rest of the season and the rest of my career.”
Shortt returns to race this morning in the 100m Backstroke heats.
Shortt’s race was followed by two outstanding semi-final swims from Ellen Walshe and Evan Bailey, with both securing places in Thursday’s Finals.
Walshe, who had set a new Irish Record of 58.80 in this morning’s heats of the 100m Individual Medley, bettered that time to 58.19 in the first semi-final, placing third and advances in fifth overall.
In the 100m Breaststroke Final, Ellie McCartney clocked 1:05.25 to place eighth overall. The European U23 Champion in the 200m Individual Medley still has that event to come and the 200m Breaststroke which she races on Thursday morning.
The 20-year-old spoke after the Final, “I’m really happy I’ve never made a past the heats in a senior international, so to make it the final, it was unexpected, I’ll take it any day. I’m really excited for the 200m Breaststroke, I think the guys in our training group, like they’ve been in phenomenal watching John just go tear things up. I think it gives a lot of us confidence that the training we’re doing is working and hopefully it could be confidence into tomorrow.”
Also on Thursday, Jack Cassin and Matthew Hamilton compete in the 100m Butterfly. Eoin Corby swims the 100m Breaststroke Heats while 400m Freestyle bronze medallist Daniel Wiffen returns in the evening for the Final of the 1500m Freestyle.
Image Credit: Swim Ireland
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