UCD Elite Swim Team competed at the two day Swedish Grand Prix 1 in Uppsala, pharmacy Sweden at the end of January. The team included 2008 Olympian Aisling Cooney, there Shauna O’Brien, Lisa Comerford, India McGlynn and American Xela Steenberge and the team set 12 new club records between them and Lisa Comerford won Gold in the Women’s 800m freestyle to set a new club record.
On the Saturday, Lisa Comerford won Gold to beat Swedish contender Josefine Hippi by 0.79 seconds in the Women’s 800m freestyle to set a new club record. Comerford also featured in the first race of the Women’s schedule, the 200m Freestyle and there swam her second club record time of 2 minutes 12.50 seconds to finish 11th. After her race Comerford said “It was a really good weekend away and it’s great to see all the training is paying off”.
The Women’s 50m Freestyle saw Aisling Cooney beat team-mates O’Brien and McGlynn to take 9th position in a new club record time of 27.97 seconds. O’Brien and McGlynn took 17th and 23rd position overall. Cooney in the evening’s final again improved her club record time to set it at 27.63 seconds.
The heats of the Women’s 100m Butterfly saw 4 UCD women competing against the Swedes, yet Irish National Champion in that event O’Brien came out best of the four with a new club record time of 1.04.25 which placed her 8th overall. McGlynn and Steenberge were next best placed of the Irish team coming in 20th and 22nd respectively. Cooney however ended up with a disqualification.
On Sunday, meanwhile, Gold medal winner in the 800m freestyle Lisa Comerford, swam the 400m Freestyle on Sunday afternoon and bettered her club record time from 4.40.81 to 4.38.13.
Butterfly sprinting specialist Shauna O’Brien came third in the 50m sprint with a time of 28.38 seconds which secured her another club record. O’Brien broke her club record again for the second time in one day after setting an earlier time of 28.92 seconds. Team-mates Aisling Cooney, India McGlynn and Xela Steenberge finished 14th, 20th and 32nd respectively.
Team-mates Aisling Cooney and Shauna O’Brien both broke the Women’s 100m Freestyle club record in a time of 1 minute 00.02 seconds finishing joint 8th. “It was a great competition to travel to and compete with some top class swimmers. Everyone on the team competed really well and raced hard, even though we are in the middle of tough training” Cooney said.
Finally, American Xela Steenberge swam in the 200m Butterfly finishing 7th with a time of 2.40.17.
-Alex Rathke
