O'Connor left to compete alone

THE LEINSTER - swimming championships need to be restructured. The sight of Atlanta Olympian Adrian O'Connor competing on his own in the final of the 200 metres backstroke on Saturday confirmed the extent of the problems, largely created by the raising of the junior age limit.

It was embarrassing for O'Connor to have to swim the eight lengths on his own. He deserves more than that at home and he was very mindful of the bizarre circumstances when he asked the national coach Ger Doyle before hand: "Have I really got to do this, Ger."

Doyle is very disappointed with the championships. He calls for a revamp of structures with specific focus on the junior age limit to improve the competitive status of the senior events.

Three non specialist butterfly swimmers picked up the medals at 50 metres with Adrian O'Connor, Nick O'Hare and Michael Giles filling the placings.

Not surprisingly, Doyle is more enthusiastic about the recent State grants to eight swimmers. "In the past grants were generally confined to one, two or three competitors and some had felt let down. The new form of distribution is excellent," he says.

The growth of interest in swimming in Dublin tends to highlight the incredible lack even of short course facilities that continue to deny, competitors of the basic requirement of a warm up and swim down pool.

IASA secretary Celia Millane points out: "More space is needed for competitors, officials and spectators and an eightlane pool is now essential to speed up events.

With the IASA still campaigning for improved short course facilities, one suspects that a 50 metre pool is further down the road.

Sixteen of the country's best teenage competitors - eight boys and eight girls - have been named to compete in the prestigious Youth Olympic Days in Lisbon (July 18th-24th).

Lee Kelleher will have no problems with extended age limits. The fact that this European event has been given new structures presents the Cork girl with the quite unique distinction of being eligible to try for further Youth Olympic medals.

She won silver at Bath in 1995. Hugh O'Connor's gold and silver medal achievements in 1993 looks likely to be at least emulated by the precocious Kelleher.

The timing of the Lisbon event, in close proximity to the Irish National championships at the Grove Baths, Belfast (July 22nd-26th) and the Junior European championships ill Glasgow (July 31st-August 3rd) will cause obvious problems.

The competitors committed to Lisbon will miss the first two or tree days of the national championships. For those with realistic prospects of good performances in the European championships, it may well be a case of missing the National championships altogether.

Kelleher, for one, is likely to leapfrog the Grove Baths championships. "This would not be a bad thing. It would give others the chance of encouraging results at national level," says Ger Doyle.