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01 Dec 2025
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01 Dec 2025
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RISING swimming star Denis O'Brien, from Limerick, is a key member of a 12-strong Ireland team which is competing at the European Aquatics Championships (25m) in Lublin, Poland from tomorrow, Tuesday until next Sunday, December 7.
O'Brien, from Mungret, who swims out of the National Centre at UL in Limerick, will open his championships tomorrow in the 400m freestyle heats along with international team mates, Olympic Champion Daniel Wiffen, and National Centre Limerick’s Cormac Rynn.
UL student O'Brien is one of three Ireland team members making their senior international debuts at the championships. O'Brien represented Ireland at the European Junior Championships during the summer.
Denis returned from the event in Samorin, Slovakia with two new personal bests and was part of a replay team to set a new Irish record.
O'Brien, who was competing at his second European Junior Championships, set the tone for a record breaking Irish team with a personal best on the opening day. Competing in the 200m freestyle, he was the fastest of the Irish swimmers in a personal best of 1:51.80.
The former Mungret Community College student was also a member of the Irish men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, along with John Shortt, Luca Power, and Sean Donnellan. They combined for a new Irish junior record of 7:33.36 which stood since 2018.
Earlier in the day, O’Brien completed his championships in the 400m freestyle and he broke the 4-minute barrier for the first time, going 3:59.87 to set a new personal best.
Earlier this year, UL engineering student O'Brien won gold in the 400m Freestyle at the Irish Youth and Senior Championships at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, breaking Finn McGeever's 2018 record. O'Brien powered home in a time of 3.56.99.
The opening day of racing at the European Aquatics Championships tomorrow, Tuesday, will see all twelve Ireland team members in action.
Denis O'Brien is coached by John Szaranek, who is Head Coach at the National Centre, Limerick, at UL, and is a coach with the Ireland team in Poland this week.
A total of seven swimmers who are based at the National Centre, Limerick, at UL, are representing Ireland at the prestigious short-course championships this week.
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