Team Ireland wrapped up an extraordinary week at the European Aquatics Championships in Poland, leaving Warsaw with seven medals, nineteen Irish Records, and a renewed sense of momentum heading into a crucial Olympic season.
The final night delivered one of the most memorable moments in Irish swimming history as Ellen Walshe surged to a stunning gold medal in the 200m Butterfly—her first senior international title and a landmark achievement for Irish women’s swimming.
Walshe’s victory capped a remarkable championship for Ireland, which finished fifth on the medal table. Across six days of competition, Irish swimmers secured three gold medals, from Walshe in the 200m Butterfly, Daniel Wiffen in the 1500m Freestyle, and John Shortt in the 200m Backstroke; one silver from Walshe in the 200m Individual Medley; and three bronzes, courtesy of Wiffen (400m and 800m Freestyle) and Evan Bailey (200m Freestyle).
For Walshe, the gold marked a decade-long journey from her first international podium at the European Youth Olympic Festival to becoming Ireland’s first-ever female European Short Course Champion.
Her winning time of 2:03.24 came after a brilliantly timed race plan: seventh at 50 metres, sixth by 75, a decisive push to third at 150, and then an electrifying final length to power past Denmark’s Helena Rosendahl Bach and Italy’s Anita Gastaldi.
“It was always going to be about who had the better backend,” said Walshe, reflecting on the race. “You just have to hold on for the first 150m and then try to bring it home the last 50—and that’s what I did. I just kicked like hell.”
The 24-year-old Templeogue swimmer acknowledged that the win came despite her own assessment that her front-end speed still needs work. “I think you have to stick to your own process. I know the back end can be strong; the front end is definitely a weakness. It’s something I’m trying to work on… but it worked tonight, so it must work,” she said.
Just thirty minutes later, Walshe showed characteristic grit by returning for the 400m Individual Medley final, finishing seventh in 4:38.51 to complete a demanding double on the final night.
Standing atop the podium for the first time as a senior international champion was an emotional moment. “You’ve got to enjoy these moments because they don’t come very often,” she said. “It was great to have the flag and see my parents in the stands.”
She also praised the wider team’s performance, highlighting the collective energy that defined Ireland’s success.
“It was absolutely savage. Each and every one of them played a massive part in everyone’s success this week… The team’s in a great place, so I’m super excited to see what we’ve got this summer.”
The numbers behind the performances underline the scale of Ireland’s achievement: nineteen Irish Records, twelve senior and seven junior, and forty-three lifetime bests across the squad.
Interim National Performance Director Andy Reid hailed the Championships as a breakthrough moment.
“This has been an outstanding European Aquatics Short Course Championships for Irish swimming. The athletes approached the meet with exceptional professionalism and demonstrated impressive maturity in their race execution. This team has set a new benchmark for Irish swimming.”
Team Ireland returns home later today, where they are expected to receive a warm welcome at Dublin Airport.
Attention now shifts quickly to the Irish Winter Championships at the Sport Ireland Campus from December 12–14, where many of the stars of Warsaw will look to carry their form into the final weeks of 2025, and towards a defining Olympic cycle over the next two and a half years.
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