Sycerika McMahon wins 100m breast-stroke heats: 2011 Irish Long Course Championships
16-year-old Sycerika McMahon wins the preliminary rounds of Women’s 100m breast-stroke on day two of the 2011 Irish Long Course Championships at the National Aquatic Centre.
McMahon has already earned the titles of 200m freestyle and 200m butterfly events and is the most favourite swimmer to grab the gold medal for the 50m breast-stroke tonight. After her victory in the preliminary rounds of the 100m breast-stroke, she is expected
to add another gold medal to her medal roster.
McMahon touched the wall in a fastest time of 1:14.90 minutes and overwhelmed the NRS’s 17-year-old Shani Stallard and ALS’s Catrina English, who qualified as the second and third fastest swimmer in a time of 1:14.94 and 1:16.64 minutes, respectively.
McMahon and Stallard displayed a wonderful swim in front of the arena, trying to conquer the fastest qualification spot. They both continued a neck-to-neck swim, trying to escape each other at every arm stroke.
Stallard out-touch McMahon on the first turn, clocking a time of 36.52 seconds against McMahon’s 36.66 seconds effort.
McMahon then cruised her way in the second lap, covering the lead of Stallard to secure the fastest finish, clocking a time of 38.24 seconds to post 1:14.90 minutes on the board. Stallard completed her second lap in 38.42 seconds to post 1:14.94 minutes
on the board.
Catrina followed them on the finishing wall, clocking a time of 1:16.64 minutes ahead of the TEMP-LE’s Niamh Bryson and GAL’s Keena Walsh, who touched the wall in a time of 1:18.31 and 1:19.72 minutes for fourth and fifth spot, respectively.
Lisa Comerford of ESB secured the sixth fastest spot into the semi-final, clocking a time of 1:20.04 minutes. NRS’s Lydia Kehoe and CBAR’s Sara English appeared as the seventh and eighth fastest swimmer, posting a time of 1:20.50 and 1:21.30 minutes, respectively.
The crowd acknowledged McMahon’s victory in her fourth event and the 16-year-old swimmer shared her plans of representing her nation at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai this July.
She claimed that she will try to meet the expectations of her fans by reaching the top of podium in 100m breast-stroke.
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