John Shortt has set a new Irish senior record in the 200m backstroke.
Competing at the Giant Open Meet in Paris, the National Centre swimmer continued to ramp up his preparation for the upcoming Irish Open in just over two weeks’ time, setting a new standard in the 200m backstroke final with a time of 1:56.07.
That secured top on the podium and broke his own record of 1:56.19 set last August on his way to World Junior gold in Romania.
Also in Paris, Ellen Walshe won her second consecutive silver medal following her time of 2:09.19 in the 200m butterfly final.
Ellie McCartney was another Irish swimmer to reach the podium for the second consecutive day, winning silver in the 200m breaststroke final with a time of 2:24.51.
In Barcelona, the penultimate day of the 2026 Para Swimming World Series concluded with both Luke O’Donoghue and Ellie Lynch competing in youth finals.
There was silver for Luke O’Donoghue in Barcelona
O’Donoghue delivered the standout performance of the night, claiming a youth silver medal.
The Kingdom man secured Ireland’s third medal of the meet, winning silver in the 100m breaststroke youth final (S9). In doing so, he clocked a new lifetime best of 1:10.21, shaving nearly a second and a half off his morning swim.
Ellie Lynch also appeared in her second youth final of the week. The Celtic Waves swimmer finished sixth overall in the 100m backstroke youth final (S9) with a time of 1:12.20.
Barry McClements continued his preparation with his sights set on the Irish Open in two weeks’ time, clocking 1:07.97 in the 100m backstroke heats (S9).
Meanwhile, Sam Black (14) and Luke Brennan (S8) recorded new personal bests in the same event, while Maya Hogan posted a time of 1:32.27 in the S10 class.