WATCH: Former Castletroy College student John Shortt targets European Championship success

FORMER Castletroy College student John Shortt is tagergetting further success in the pool at the European Aquatics Championships (25m) which begins in Lublin, Poland, tomorrow, Tuesday, and continues until Sunday.

Eighteen-year-old Shortt, based at the National Centre, Limerick at UL, will compete in the heats of the men's 200m backstroke this Tuesday.

World Junior Champion John Shortt set a new Irish Senior and Junior Record in the 200m Backstroke (1:51.37) in recent weeks.

Galway native Shortt enjoyed a terrific World Junior Swimming Championships in Romania last August. The teenager first won 100m backstroke gold at Otopeni, on the outskirts of Bucharest, before claiming bronze in the 50m backstroke two days later.

On the same day as he got his Leaving Cert results from Castletroy College, Shott added another gold in the 200m backstroke, his favourite event, this time winning by almost two seconds.

Shortt also became only the second Irish swimmer to win a World Junior title, after Olympic medallist Mona McSharry won the 100m breaststroke gold (and the 50m breaststroke bronze) back in 2017.

Aged 16, Shortt moved from his home near Oranmore in Galway, to join the Swim Ireland National Training Centre in Limerick, under the guidance of head coach John Szaranek.

He also enrolling at Castletroy College for the Leaving Cert cycle, while also training twice a day at the pool at UL.

John Shortt 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.