The Irish Summer National Age Group Championships continued on Day Three at the UL Arena, showcasing a range of outstanding performances and national titles across various swimming events. The day's highlights included several dramatic relay races and individual events, with swimmers from different clubs and age groups competing fiercely for top positions.
One of the most competitive events was the Male & Open 13/14yrs 400m Freestyle Relay, where Lurgan narrowly edged out Coolmine by just 0.09 seconds. Lurgan's victory in 4:02.93 secured them the gold medal, while Coolmine took silver in 4:03.02 and Trojan claimed bronze in 4:08.73. In the Female 13/14yrs 400m Freestyle Relay, Bangor emerged victorious with a time of 4:11.18, followed by Galway in second place (4:18.13) and Aer Lingus in third (4:18.98).
The Female 800m Freestyle events also produced impressive performances. Vanessa Hamilton of Bangor won the 13yrs race with a time of 10:02.45, closely followed by Tara Finnegan of Curragh in second (10:03.61) and Annie Francis of Swim Belfast in third (10:22.44). In the 14yrs category, Chloe Stewart of Bangor claimed the title with a strong swim of 9:26.54, with Meadhbh Ní Riain of Limerick in second (9:42.35) and Lucy Lee O'Donnell of Waterford Crystal in third (9:47.66).
The Female 12-14yrs 50m Breaststroke saw Sofiia Kostanetska of Cookstown emerge as the gold medalist with a time of 35.53. Her teammates, Jessica Sweeney and Sophia Winterbach, secured silver and bronze respectively, with times of 35.65 and 36.14. The Male & Open 200m Backstroke events also featured closely contested races, with Zayn Finnegan of Curragh winning gold in 2:35.46, followed by Kristian Jakobsen of Blackrock in second (2:39.79) and Cody Murray of Ards in third (2:41.90).
The Female 100m Butterfly races produced some of the closest finishes of the session. Amelia Cray of Tallaght won gold in 1:11.42, with Alana McEvoy of Swilly Seals in second (1:13.85) and Clara Pinschmidt of Glenalbyn in third (1:15.22). The 13yrs race was decided by just four hundredths of a second, with Philippa Costello of Dolphin touching first in 1:07.55, followed by Esme Falls of Bangor in second (1:07.58) and Una Casey of Blackrock in third (1:07.59). In the 14yrs category, Olivia Falls of Bangor powered to gold in 1:03.94, with Meadhbh Ní Riain of Limerick in second (1:07.40) and Amy Casagrande of Coolmine in third (1:08.41).
The Male & Open 12-14yrs 50m Freestyle event saw Luka Griffin of Cookstown storm to gold in 25.92, with Callum Brown of Banbridge in second (26.21) and Victor Virlan of Drogheda in third (26.63). The Male & Open 100m Butterfly event also featured highly competitive age-group races, with Zayn Finnegan of Curragh winning the 12yrs race in 1:12.02, followed by Cody Murray of Ards in second (1:14.42) and Oliver McEvoy of Aer Lingus in third (1:16.89). The 13yrs race was won by Daniel Jordan of Wexford in 1:03.90, with Luciano Rodriguez Mendoza of Templeogue in second (1:03.93) and Victor Virlan of Drogheda in third (1:05.36).
The day's final event, the Female 200m Individual Medley, saw Alana McEvoy of Swilly Seals claim gold in 2:45.75, with Bella Hill of Bangor in second (2:47.36) and Lily Ha of Dolphin in third (2:49.24). The 13yrs race produced a thrilling finish, with Una Casey of Blackrock touching first in 2:31.45, followed by Tara Finnegan of Curragh in second (2:32.04) and Molly Mullin of City of Derry in third (2:36.15). In the 14yrs category, Olivia Falls of Bangor won gold in 2:33.68, finishing just 0.31 seconds ahead of Ciara Cunningham of Galway Swimming Club in second (2:33.99), with Faya Smullen of Asgard in third (2:38.27).
The championship's second day results included several relay races, with Aer Lingus, Ards, and Trojan claiming gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively in the Male & Open 12yrs 200m Freestyle Relay. Trojan secured the national title in the Female 12yrs 200m Freestyle Relay, followed by Dolphin and Glenalbyn. Lurgan, Coolmine, and Trojan also took gold, silver, and bronze in the Male & Open 13/14yrs 400m Freestyle Relay, while Bangor, Galway, and Aer Lingus dominated the Female 13/14yrs 400m Freestyle Relay.
