Bronze For Ellen Keane Rounds Off Superb Week For Ireland At Paralympic Swimming World Championships

It’s certainly been a fantastic week for Irish swimming this week, as talented athletes from across Ireland competed in the Paralympic Swimming World Championships in Glasgow. Twenty-year-old Ellen Keane added a bronze medal to the long list of Irish successes on the final day at the championships, topping off a phenomenal week for the team. Keane set a new lifetime best to medal in the 200m Individual Medley final (SM9). The London 2012 Paralympian swam superbly to claw back from fourth place at the final turn to overcome Madeline Scott of Australia right at the finish and snatch the much coveted bronze medal in 2:40.31, almost 0.2 of a second quicker than her mark that morning. The race was won in a new European record of 2:31.08 by Tully Kearney of Great Britain, with Ping Lin of China taking bronze in 2:38.91. “I’m still in shock! I didn’t think I got third!” Keane said afterwards. “I looked at the clock and registered my time and was happy with my PB, then saw the ‘3’ and couldn’t believe it!"

We couldn't sign off without sharing these #proudparents #irishroadtorio Big thanks for support for the guys all wk pic.twitter.com/aOKptsKXqa

— Paralympics Ireland (@ParalympicsIRE) July 19, 2015

"I’m just so delighted, especially for my parents after dressing up in their Irish suits all week!” she added. Meanwhile, 13-year-old Nicole Turner has certainly given the nation plenty to talk about over the last few days. The Laois swimmer made her debut at the championships, and qualified for the final of each of her six events, setting a number of personal bests along the way. A phenomenal performance from the teenager certainly promises good things to come in the future and we’ve no doubt she’s one of the names to watch in the coming years. Speaking afterwards, Irish team manager Hayley Burke said: “What a finish to a brilliant week. For Nicole, six from six finals in her first ever major championships is class! “For James Scully to PB in such a tough final has topped his week off on a high. Ellen was just so calm and in control going into that race and it all went right for her. “She thoroughly deserved that medal after the year she has put in. Credit to her coach Dave Malone.” Ailbhe Kelly also made her mark on the games, swimming well throughout the championships in what has truly been a hugely successful week for Ireland.