“It’s incredible to see her realise that level of potential”

WHAT a difference a year makes! That’s something Ellen Walshe can certainly attest to.

Back in December of 2020, the Templeogue swimmer suffered a bad fall that resulted in some nerve damage, making it very difficult to even walk for some time.

But 12 months on, the 20-year-old has not only competed in her first Olympic Games, but has emerged from this week’s World Short Course Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi as one of the leading lights for Ireland.

In addition to the stunning silver medal she captured on the 400m Individual Medley on Thursday last, the Tokyo Olympian chalked up no less than six PBs and five Irish senior records at the event.

Now based at University of Tennessee along with compatriot Mona McSharry under a team led by head coach Matt Kredich, Walshe broke the 27-year-old Irish 400m IM record in Abu Dhabi when she touched home in a time of 4:30.78, knocking more than six seconds off the Irish standard that had been set by Michelle Smith back in 1994.

And she bettered that time again in the final, clocking 4:26.52 to secure Ireland’s second-ever medal at a World Swimming Championships and the first ever in an Olympic event.

Following on from that, Walshe set a new Irish record in the 200m Individual Medley when she clocked 2:08.69 in her heat.

Her fifth and final new national standard came in the 100m Butterfly semi-finals in which she finished ninth.

Having broken her own Irish senior best in the heats with a time of 57.32, she again lowered it in the next round, setting a new national best of 56.68, that saw her miss out on the final by a mere 0.06 of a second.

For Templeogue SC coach Brian Sweeney who trained Walshe for near to ten seasons before her move to the US earlier this year, the standards his young protégé has been setting throughout 2021 have been a long time coming.

“It’s incredible to see her realise that level of potential that we know has always been there” he told The Echo.

“To put some context on it, on the 11th of December last year she went to the physical therapist with the injury she had sustained and on the 12th of December this year she flew out for what was ultimately the most successful week of her career to date.

“Ellen suffered a spinal concussion after she fell down the stairs and ended up with some potential nerve damage to her foot. That was potentially a career-threatening injury.

“But, in a weird way, the injury that she had, because it compromised her natural flow in the water, I think reconnected her with a lot of the things that she does incredibly well.

“Intuitively it allowed her to feel how much better and stronger she was getting in the water during that run-in from January to February through to the Trials and Performance Meet.

“And in that process of rehabilitation she got to redefine everything she does naturally, grow confidence in it and then move it to the Olympics.

“From there it’s just been stratospheric in terms of her own confidence and awareness of her ability.

“I think from that point onwards, when you realise you’re able to be internationally relevant and competitive, it’s huge.

“We’ve seen some fantastic stuff from Ellen over the years and some of those swims have been coming for a long time.

“I think in the last 24 months, she’s matured a lot, she’s grown in confidence and qualifying for the Olympics has made her fully aware and appreciative of her potential.

“She’s settled very well in the States. There’s a great crew of people there supporting her in that programme.

“The team in Tennessee have been very impressed with Ellen’s skills and abilities and she’s just garnered a level of confidence from that environment.

“She gets to challenge herself from a racing perspective on a much more frequent basis.

“The most incredible thing about Ellen is her discipline and diligence to train, particularly throughout the lockdown. She’s very focused and she has a clear vision around what she wants.

“She’s got excellent swimming skills that have been developed from grassroots right the way through and she’s damn fast as well” he laughed.

Meanwhile this week’s World Short Course Championships also saw Tallaght SC and National Centre swimmer Brendan Hyland help the Ireland Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay team to a new Irish record.

The Knocklyon man combined with Calum Bain, Jack McMillan and Jordan Sloan to help card a new national best time of 3:12.94 as they came home ninth in their heat, missing out on the final by just .2 of a second.

Fellow Tallaght swimmer Niamh Coyne clocked a time of 2:23.04 on her way to 14th place in the 200m Breaststroke having emerged 18th over the 100m distance with a time of 1:06.44 that saw her just miss out on a place in the semi-final by two positions.