Danielle Hill brilliantly claimed a fantastic silver medal on the second-to-last evening of the 2024 European Aquatic Championships amid chaotic weather triggered by lightning strikes in Belgrade. Regardless of the tumultuous conditions, Hill showcased her exceptional determination by completing 100m backstroke in just 1:00.19, thus winning silver. The swimmer from Larne confidently demonstrated her previous golden victory, bagging her second senior medal. She narrowly missed out on gold in a thrilling contest with Poland’s Adela Piskorska, who beat her by a mere 0.40 seconds.
After the event, Hill expressed her feelings by stating, “Despite the mad evening we’ve experienced, we were all just content to get in the pool. I was aware tonight was about desire and being the first reach to the wall. Hats off to Adela; she was first to touch the wall and I believe it’s a massive improvement for her. Even if I didn’t come out on top tonight, I can’t complain about obtaining the silver medal.”
Competing in the same event, 19-year-old Lottie Cullen managed to achieve a respectable fifth place across Europe, recording a time of 1:01.03. This performance marks her first personal final in an international event at the senior level. The athlete from National Centre (Ulster) ended an awe-inspiring week with a final in the 100m backstroke and semi-finals in the 200m and 50m backstroke.
Earlier in the day, Shane Ryan made Irish history in the 50m freestyle event, breaking a national record to qualify for the event’s semi-finals at the European Aquatics Championships taking place in Belgrade. The 30-year-old Irishman completed the length in just 21.82 seconds, making him the quickest swimmer Ireland has ever had over a long course (50m). He managed to beat Tom Fannon’s previous record of 21.94 seconds which was set in the Irish Open and Olympic Trials in May. Poised as the swiftest competitor from the preliminary rounds, Ryan will dive back into the pool for the semi-final set to begin at 5:58pm (Irish time) on the forthcoming Saturday.
The astonishment was evident as Ryan achieved a better time than his target of 21.89 in the 50 freestyle after a two-year break, particularly given his shoulder surgery from two and a half years prior. He was left almost speechless by the fantastic result.
Following Ryan’s performance, another Irish swimmer, Calum Bain, also made it to the 50m freestyle semi-finals. He won his heat and ranked fifth overall at 22.11, despite a glitch with his suit.
Historic accolades were also achieved by Clare Cryan who won a first ever diving medal for Ireland at the continental championship.
Bain expressed his frustration at the suit incident but expressed satisfaction with his swift morning swim which he mentioned as a personal best time.
However, Oisin Tebite’s 23.58 performance in the same event saw him failing to qualify.
On another note, following his previous 50m backstroke final where he placed sixth, Conor Ferguson was back in the pool securing a place in the 100m backstroke semi-finals with another sixth-place finish, clocking 54.74.
The Irish team has a busy evening ahead, with Danielle Hill aiming to add another gold to her collection in the 100m backstroke final. Alongside Hill will be Lottie Cullen, making her debut in an individual senior final
Also competing in finals will be Nathan Wiffen in the 1500m freestyle, and Ellie McCartney in the 200m medley, who are both making their second appearance at the European final in this meet.