02/06/2026
The photo didn’t lie. Bangor boasts an outstanding swimming facility, with excellent pools and a venue that is one of the best on the Island. Bangor Swimming Club hosted a fantastic event, made even more memorable by the expert commentary of Olympian Andrew Bree, whose insights throughout the weekend added another dimension to the competition. It was an extraordinary feat of physical endurance, as impressive as any of the swims over the weekend.
As mentioned previously, Áine, Emily and Oliver competed as part of the South East Development Squad, while Carl and Luke represented Slaney Sharks.
Emily and Áine had busy schedules across the two days, while Carl and Oliver raced twice on Saturday and Luke took to the water for four events on Sunday. The standard of competition was exceptionally high, but all of our swimmers performed admirably, recording new personal bests or coming very close to them in most of their races.
Áine once again led the way, producing an outstanding 11-second personal best in the 200m Individual Medley. Emily and Luke also added new PBs to their palmarès. Emily equalled her best time in the 50m Freestyle and posted impressive swims in both the 200m Breaststroke and 50m Butterfly, two events she has somehow managed to avoid until now.
Most events at meets of this size are run on a heat-declared winner basis. Swimmers are seeded according to their entry times, with each heat made up of competitors of similar ability. As soon as one heat finishes and before the swimmers clear the water, the next group is off the blocks flying over their heads. Popular events such as the 100m Freestyle, can have a huge number of heats. The Open 100m Freestyle in Bangor, for example, required 18 heats of ten to get through everyone, with competitors ranging in age from 11 years old to swimmers in their mid-twenties.
Swimming places a great emphasis on personal best times. PBs determine your seeding for your next race. However, while overall and age-group placings are decided by time, each heat is still very much a race in its own right. There is always a sense of achievement in touching the wall first-no matter how you get there.
Áine demonstrated this perfectly in the 800m Freestyle. Swimming to a carefully executed race plan, she produced remarkably consistent splits throughout, gradually pulling away from her competitors before finishing strongly. Had she been pushed harder, a new personal best would almost certainly have been chalked up. Her intelligent and disciplined swim caught the attention of commentator Andrew Bree and earned her a bronze medal in her age group.
Luke also found himself in the spotlight during his 200m Breaststroke. He surged into a big early lead, with Bree, a former elite breaststroker himself, praising Luke's long, controlled technique. At about the 175m mark, Luke seemed to tighten up and in an exciting finish a chasing swimmer started to reel him in. Luke dug deep, held on in a thrilling finish, matched his personal best time and secured a win in his heat, along with a strong age-group placing. But, something tells me he left a lot of time out there...
Overall, it was another superb gala organised by Bangor Swimming Club. The facilities, atmosphere and competition combined to create a memorable weekend, but ultimately it was the swimmers who made the event special.
A special thank you goes to Coach Fran and all of the coaches involved with the South East Development Squad for looking after our swimmers throughout the weekend. It is a fantastic initiative that provides valuable opportunities and experiences for young athletes, and one we hope will continue to thrive for many years to come.
And while we're on the subject of doing your best, a huge shout-out to Emma, Ella, Sinéad, Reuben and Róise, who begin their State Exams tomorrow.
Everyone at the club wishes you the very best of luck over the coming weeks. If you've prepared for your exams with the same dedication and commitment that you bring to training, you'll do just fine.
Best of luck from all at Slaney Sharks.
