Four records from four swims for Ellen

Ellen Walshe brought her record-breaking form into the first night of finals making it four records from four swims at the World Swimming Championships (SC) in Budapest on Tuesday evening.

Walshe, who is the Active South Dublin in association with The Echo and South Dublin County Council Sport Star of the Year, finished an outstanding fifth place in the 200m Individual Medley and was fourteenth overall in the semi-finals of the 50m Butterfly.

In the 200m IM the Templeogue swimmer took an additional one second off the record she had set in this morning’s heats. Starting with 2:08.32 from her bronze medal winning performance at the European Short Course Championships in 2023, the 23-year-old clocked 2:06.50 this morning and 2:05.52 this evening to lower the record by almost three seconds.

USA’s Kate Douglass set a new World Record to win the Final in 2:01.63.

Less than 20 minutes before the Medley Final, Walshe lowered her own 50m Butterfly Irish Record, from 25.65 in this morning’s heats to 25.45, a total of .45 of a second off her 2022 best of 25.90.

Speaking after the 200m Individual Medley Final Walshe commented ‘That’s an absolutely stacked heat, it’s great to be a part of it with the girls and we can only build from there, but yeah, it’s a massive step forward from last year and I’m delighted it’s another second off this morning’s swim, which I wasn’t sure if we could find, but it was there, so absolutely delighted’.

On having 20 minutes between races Walshe said ‘I guess the 50m I kind of just use it as a warm-up swim as well and I knew I obviously wanted to be down under 26 (seconds) again tonight and that’s where I was, so I said if that’s three records, then let’s make it four. 

“I went into the 200 (IM) a lot more confident than I thought I would this week, because I think of the 50 (Butterfly) out in front.’

 Walshe is back in the pool on Thursday in the 100m Individual Medley, an event in which she set a new Irish Record of 59.30 in November.