Galway swimmer John Shortt continued his outstanding form as he set new Irish and Championship Records in the 200m Backstroke at the Irish Open Championships in Bangor, completing a clean sweep of the backstroke titles this week. Already the record-holder in the 100m Backstroke with his 53.17 swim from earlier in the week, Shortt went under 1:56 for the first time in his career, stopping the clock at 1:55.70 – a performance that ranks him third in the world this year. The 19-year-old improved on his previous lifetime best of 1:56.07, set at the Giant Open in Paris three weeks ago, and bettered his own Championship Record of 1:56.61 from the 2025 Irish Open.
A delighted Shortt said ‘Brilliant, you know, I think the last two weeks have been really solid, you know in terms of every time I’ve gotten in the water this season I’ve improved, so I think it’s been a really solid last three days and you know I’m excited to see where the Summer goes.’
After his Irish Open schedule had ended, John Shortt spoke to John Mulligan on Galway Bay FM's Sunday Sports Show...
