
Ellen Walshe secures 200m individual medley semi-final spot in Singapore
Entering the race ranked 18th, Walshe impressed with fourth place in her heat in 2:11.45, the fifth fastest time of her career.
She progressed as the 10th fastest swimmer overall ahead of this afternoon's (1pm Irish time) semi-final at Singapore Sports Hub.
The Templeogue swimmer has a best time and holds the Irish Record in 2:10.92 from the 2023 World Championships.
Olympic gold medallist Daniel Wiffen clocked 3:47.57 to open his World Championships in the 400m freestyle.
"I was pretty disappointed with the overall time; I didn't follow the race plan I was meant to go," he said afterwards.
"It's a warm-up for my main events later in the week, I'm looking forward to the 800m in the next two days."
Wiffen returns to the pool for that event on Tuesday morning, where he will be first looking to secure a top eight finish in the heats, to lock in a lane for Wednesday's final.
Also competing in the 200m individual medley, Ellie McCartney made her World Championships debut in 2:13.86, the second fastest time of her career. The National Centre Limerick swimmer will be back in action on Thursday in the 200m breaststroke.
Eoin Corby swam a seasons' best in the 100m breaststroke heats, touching in 1:00.63. Corby will return for the 200m breaststroke, his main event, on Thursday.
Shane Ryan opened his Championships clocking 23.46 in a speedy 50m butterfly preliminary. Ryan returns to the pool on Friday for the 50m freestyle.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
Farrell's Lions won in a tour that showed interest is as big as ever
A GRAND TOTAL of 453,237 people attended the Lions' nine games in Australia over the past five weeks. The first Test in Brisbane was completely sold out, while the crowd of 90,307 for the second Test at the MCG was a remarkable sight to behold. Those lucky enough to be there in Melbourne witnessed an epic match they'll never forget. The third Test in Sydney was also a sell-out and though the biblical rain dissuaded a few thousand people from turning up, a crowd of just over 80,000 in that kind of weather was impressive. Many of them got soaked to the bone for their efforts. The warm-up games attracted lots of people. The Brumbies had their biggest crowd for 17 years when the Lions were in Canberra, while Adelaide delighted in welcoming its biggest-ever crowd for a rugby game when the tourists took on the AUNZ XV. The Waratahs and the Reds have average attendances of 15,000 but welcomed crowds of more than 40,000 for their Lions games. The Western Force's average attendance is even lower at around 7,000, but they had 46,656 in for the visit of the Lions. The big Irish, English, Welsh, and Scottish diasporas obviously helped to swell these numbers, but plenty of Aussies were clearly engaged. There is still a hardcore rugby union-loving community Down Under. Millions more people watched this Lions campaign on TV in 135 countries around the world. Though the numbers have yet to be confirmed, this tour has made record profits for both the Lions and Rugby Australia. And while it would be great if it were all about romanticism and tradition and engaging with the community, these numbers are the bottom line for the organisations who bring these Lions tours together. Lions captain Maro Itoje with the series trophy. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The IRFU and its counterparts in England, Scotland, and Wales make up the Lions. So they will benefit from this tour. World Cups cost them huge amounts of money. Lions tours make money for them. Advertisement The evidence of this tour of Australia suggests that the Lions are even bigger than ever. This thing is a beast that people simply cannot resist, even if only to proclaim how little they care about it. The Lions will always have its detractors but it has many, many more supporters who love these tours. The vast majority of people fortunate enough to be in Australia for this tour will have fond memories. This is a wonderful country to trek around. Maybe the best in the world for a tour. But, of course, the actual rugby really is the key part of all of this. Andy Farrell's Lions could never really win in some people's eyes. Given where the Wallabies were after the 2023 World Cup, the tourists were heavy favourites for the series. They won the series but lost the last Test. Having openly declared their goal of winning 3-0, they made a rod for their backs. Farrell's men fell short of their target with a relatively poor performance in the third Test but that has happened in many series before. Getting yourself up for the third game after clinching the series a week before is tricky. The Lions boss was asked on Saturday night if it's psychologically impossible for players to truly get themselves back to the same place again having already clinched the series. 'I hope not, I hope not,' said Farrell. 'Otherwise, we are not being true to ourselves in everything we talked about. I certainly hope not. 'Subconsciously, I guess I will never know the answer to that question.' He was similarly indecisive when asked whether the Lions players were a bit physically worn out when the third Test rolled around. Many felt that Farrell should have added more fresh energy to his team with players who hadn't yet featured in the Tests. Andy Farrell embraces Finn Russell. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO 'I don't know, everything is in hindsight, isn't it?' said Farrell. 'We built the week up pretty good, I thought. There were a few days off. Training application on Tuesday and Wednesday was pretty good, as was yesterday. 'It's just the story of the game that got away from us in the end. 'Who am I to know… these lads have been playing for how many months? They were certainly up for the game, but the best team won.' And it's as simple as that. The Wallabies were better in the third Test and deserved their win. The Lions were better overall over the course of the series and deserved to win that. What will live longest in the memory is that thrilling second Test in Melbourne when the Lions came back from 18 points down to win it at the death with the ultimate Andy Farrell team try. 14 phases of ball retention and good decision-making and work rate off the ball and skill execution. It was truly the synthesis of Farrell's coaching. Hugo Keenan put an unforgettable finishing touch on a stunning team try to clinch the series. That's the moment people will remember, and rightly so. It was one of the great Lions moments. This was a brilliant Lions tour for Irish rugby, even if everyone didn't like it. It's a huge point of pride for 18 Irish players to be involved. This was a hard-earned reward for Ireland's excellence in recent years. They have dominated the other Lions nations. The Irish system isn't perfect, but to have such representation in players and staff is a major achievement. The 2025 crop might not be remembered as the greatest Lions team ever, and this series might not be remembered as the greatest we've seen, but it was engaging and often enthralling. It was fun and ferocious. The Wallabies earned respect after being disrespected. The Lions deserved to win the series and go home with the spoils. Everyone who enjoys the Lions has had a fun few weeks. Some, including the players and staff, have even had the time of their lives. And now we'll move on.

The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
Lions chief executive says Andy Farrell in ‘strong position' to return as coach
ANDY FARRELL'S CREDENTIALS to remain British and Irish Lions head coach for the 2029 tour to New Zealand have been endorsed by chief executive Ben Calveley. Farrell has steered the Lions to their first series triumph since 2013 with Saturday's 22-12 defeat by the Wallabies in Sydney the only loss of their nine-fixture visit to Australia. Even if their march towards the whitewash was conclusively halted at the final hurdle, the 50-year-old Ireland boss has presided over a successful tour notable for its results, squad cohesion, commitment to playing rugby and the character shown to win the second Test in the dying seconds. Planning for 2029 is already underway with Calveley promising a similar structure and number of games to the itinerary just completed, although the final midweek fixture will be looked at closely because of the disruption it causes to Test preparations. Farrell is the favourite to lead that expedition and Calveley suggests that the most coveted post in British and Irish rugby is currently his to lose. Advertisement Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'Andy's done an incredible job and I have really enjoyed working with him,' Calveley said. 'I go right back to when I first met him to offer him the role. You could see right then that we had made the right decision in appointing Andy. 'Since he has started full time back in December, he has brought a real focus to the operation which has ultimately resulted in success on the field of play. We will now give him a bit of time off. 'When it comes to our appointments for future tours, we will start the process in about two years and I don't think it would be right to comment on where it ends up. But certainly he has put himself in a very strong position, let's put it that way.' Australia entered the series ranked eighth in the world and their credibility as an ongoing Lions tour destination was at stake before the Suncorp Stadium opener. Their thumping in Brisbane was an inauspicious start, but at Melbourne Cricket Ground they went within 51 seconds of levelling the series before emerging emphatic winners on Saturday. The Lions won the series by an aggregate score of just 68-67 and their opponents led for more time across the three Tests. Memories to last a lifetime 🦁#Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) August 3, 2025 Factor in profits that are 'significantly higher than anything we've seen in the past' and it is clear that the Wallabies will continue to be adversaries for the elite of British and Irish rugby. 'I would absolutely envisage returning to Australia. I know there's been loads of speculation about whether that would be the case or not, but we've had a wonderful tour here,' Calveley said. 'It's 100 per cent our ambition to return and we would want the next one to be bigger and better than this one.' The Lions are seen as potentially being vulnerable to the proposed new breakaway franchise league R360, but Calveley insists their pulling power remains as strong as ever. 'You have seen these quotes come from players at every stage throughout the tour is that they remain absolutely committed to the Lions,' he said. 'We all know that we have our place in the calendar baked into regulation 9 and I wouldn't see that changing in the future. 'Our relationship with the professional game is better than it has ever been and I would see that continuing in the future.'


Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Andy Farrell backed to lead the Lions tour of New Zealand
Andy Farrell's credentials to remain British and Irish Lions head coach for the 2029 tour to New Zealand have been endorsed by chief executive Ben Calveley. Farrell has steered the Lions to their first series triumph since 2013 with Saturday's 22-12 defeat by the Wallabies in Sydney the only loss of their nine-fixture visit to Australia. Even if their march towards the whitewash was conclusively halted at the final hurdle, the 50-year-old Ireland boss has presided over a successful tour notable for its results, squad cohesion, commitment to playing rugby and the character shown to win the second Test in the dying seconds. Planning for 2029 is already underway with Calveley promising a similar structure and number of games to the itinerary just completed, although the final midweek fixture will be looked at closely because of the disruption it causes to Test preparations. Farrell is the favourite to lead that expedition and Calveley suggests that the most coveted post in British and Irish rugby is currently his to lose. 'Andy's done an incredible job and I have really enjoyed working with him,' Calveley said. 'I go right back to when I first met him to offer him the role. You could see right then that we had made the right decision in appointing Andy. 'Since he has started full time back in December, he has brought a real focus to the operation which has ultimately resulted in success on the field of play. We will now give him a bit of time off. 'When it comes to our appointments for future tours, we will start the process in about two years and I don't think it would be right to comment on where it ends up. But certainly he has put himself in a very strong position, let's put it that way.' Australia entered the series ranked eighth in the world and their credibility as an ongoing Lions tour destination was at stake before the Suncorp Stadium opener. Their thumping in Brisbane was an inauspicious start, but at Melbourne Cricket Ground they went within 51 seconds of levelling the series before emerging emphatic winners on Saturday. The Lions won the series by an aggregate score of just 68-67 and their opponents led for more time across the three Tests. Factor in profits that are 'significantly higher than anything we've seen in the past' and it is clear that the Wallabies will continue to be adversaries for the elite of British and Irish rugby. 'I would absolutely envisage returning to Australia. I know there's been loads of speculation about whether that would be the case or not, but we've had a wonderful tour here,' Calveley said. 'It's 100 per cent our ambition to return and we would want the next one to be bigger and better than this one.' The Lions are seen as potentially being vulnerable to the proposed new breakaway franchise league R360, but Calveley insists their pulling power remains as strong as ever. 'You have seen these quotes come from players at every stage throughout the tour is that they remain absolutely committed to the Lions,' he said. 'We all know that we have our place in the calendar baked into regulation 9 and I wouldn't see that changing in the future. 'Our relationship with the professional game is better than it has ever been and I would see that continuing in the future.'