F-Teamers Make Waves at Irish Champs
Funky Trunks F-Team athletes Evan Bailey, Nathan Wiffen and Jack Cassin recently competed in the Irish Open Swimming Championships, where they performed exceptional well with PBs and qualification for international meets.
Nathan competed in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, and secured podium finishes in all of them. In the 400m freestyle, he swam a personal best time of 3:54.65, coming in second place to brother Daniel who clocked a 3:52.83. He then went on to win both the 800m and 1500m freestyle events, achieving a 10-second PB and setting a meet record for the 1500. Nathan was clearly well prepared for the meet, having been tapered, and his hard work paid off, as he achieved three performance squad times for Loughborough University. This meet was also preparation for next year’s Olympic trials, and Nathan is feeling confident that he is on track to perform well. We look forward to seeing Nathan's continued success, with his next event being the AP International at London Aquatic in May.
Evan Bailey raced the 100m breaststroke and 100m freestyle. In the 100m breaststroke, Evan placed 8th with a time of 1:04:83. While he expressed that this was not his best performance, he seemed to have his sights set on the summer events. In the 100m freestyle event, Evan came in second place with a time of 50:79, which was a personal best and an improvement from his time last year.
Overall, Evan competed in the meet after a short taper, and while he had goal times set, he was slightly off. However, his performance sets him up nicely for the European Juniors competition which he has coming up and keep an eye out for him as he competes in the Mare Nostrum and Canet competitions over the next few months.
Jack Cassin had an outstanding competition, dominating both the 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley events with victories in both while achieving personal best times. Notably, he set new Irish junior and senior records in the 400m individual medley event. His success at the meet also earned him qualifications for the U23 European Championships in Dublin, where he will compete among other top swimmers in Europe. Overall, Cassin's performance showcased his remarkable skill and potential in the sport.
We’re very proud of our Irish lads and look forward to seeing more results over the months ahead.