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Talent pool: Sycerika McMahon takes 5 titles at national championships

The Olympian’s gold haul included a new Irish record in the 200 metre medley, but watch out for Antoinette Neamt.

SYCERIKA MCMAHON WAS untouchable on day one of the national short course championships in Lisburn today as she collected five Irish titles.

The 17-year-old set a new Irish senior record in the 200 metre individual medley with a time of 2:12.35 taking her well clear of home-town favourite Bethany Carson and Dublin’s Shani Stallard.

McMahon also took home gold from the 100 metre breast stroke (1:08.30), 200 metre butterfly (2:13.71) and 100 metre Freestyle (56.07), but only after cruising to first place in the 800 metres freestyle.

However, the runner up in the mid-distance race also earned some warranted attention. While the Olympian finished in 8:50.86, 11-year-old Antoinette Neamt came in just under five seconds later (8:55.62) to claim silver.

Neamt, from Tallaght, is a product of the NAC’s high performance unit and is a member of Swim Ireland’s national youth squad.

The women’s 50 metre backstroke final was won by Aisling Cooney, who represented Ireland in Beijing 2008, with a time of 29.49.

In the men’s events, Brendan Gibbons twice set a new Irish junior record in the 400 metre freestyle. First in the heats ((3:55.14) before swimming for silver in the final with a time of 3:54.21, half a second behind gold medallist Andrew Meegan (3:53.78).

The 200 metre backstroke was won by 17-year-old Jack Cobain (2:03.50) who went on to take silver in the 100 metre butterfly, just .02 of a second behind Galway’s David O’Sullivan (55.93).

The men’s 50 metre freestyle was won by Botond Solymossy (23.05) a third of a second ahead of Matthew Coward and David Prendergast.

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