Ellen Walshe celebrates. Giorgio Scala/INPHO
From The 42Swimming

Ellen Walshe wins second gold medal at European Aquatics Championships

It’s Ireland’s fourth medal at the championships.
5.56pm, 15 Aug 2026
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LAST UPDATE | 15 Aug

ELLEN WALSHE HAS won her second gold medal at the European Aquatics Championships with a superb finish to the 200m individual medley.

The 24-year-old from Dublin backed up her 400m individual medley gold with a stunning final leg from lane one.  

It’s Ireland’s fourth medal from the championships, with Mona McSharry delivering the other pair, a silver and bronze in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.

“I actually can’t believe it. I don’t know how I was feeling coming into it but I’m just so shocked,” said Walshe.

She later reflected: “I think the middle lanes personally for me can be quite distracting because I’m like she’s there and she’s there.

“I knew diving in I was going to have to do my own thing here because you can’t see anyone and they can’t see you.

“I knew coming off that last wall, I was going to have to do at least 14 metres underwater and try to get myself back up and just go for it.”

It was a brilliantly paced race from Walshe, who was seventh of eight swimmers after the butterfly, turning 1.86 seconds behind Roos Vanotterdijk. 

She climbed one place across both the backstroke and breaststroke legs, but had significantly squeezed the gap from 2.17 seconds to the Belgian at halfway to 1.02 seconds behind Britain’s Abbie Wood with 50 metres to swim.

Turning in fifth, she burned them all off in the final stretch. Her time of 2:09.81 was 0.26 seconds ahead of Italy’s Anita Gastaldi, with Vanotterdijk in third. 

ellen-walshe-celebrates-after-winning-gold Ellen Walshe celebrates. Giorgio Scala / INPHO Giorgio Scala / INPHO / INPHO

ellen-walshe-celebrates-with-abbie-wood-of-great-britain-after-the-race Ellen Walshe celebrates with Abbie Wood after the race. Giorgio Scala / INPHO Giorgio Scala / INPHO / INPHO

Minutes after receiving her gold medal and hearing Amhrán na bhFiann ring out around the Paris Aquatic Centre, Walshe was back in the pool for the 200m butterfly.

She carried on her flying form, posting a time of 2:08.96 for fourth place in her semi-final, which made her the fifth-fastest qualifier for the final. 

On qualifying for the 200m butterfly final, Walshe added: “It was special. It was a runoff the podium and straight into the call room to try and find my hat and goggles, which I couldn’t find anywhere, but that’s just racing under pressure and sometimes that works because you haven’t got time to think about it, just get up and go.”

There was disappointment for Daniel Wiffen in the 1500m final as German teenager Johannes Liebmann smashed the world record in 14:26.79.

Wiffen, who took bronze at the Paris Olympics in this event, was tailed off in last place, hitting the wall in 15:06.30.

“I’m dead to be honest, but it was great race,” said Wiffen. “I’m happy to be in that race to see that world record fall again.

“Not so much about my swim, I’m not very happy about it, but we put together another race, obviously the time wasn’t great, but I’m happy that I’m still in these finals, getting back to where I was, and that’s what next season’s going to be about.”

There will be more finals to look forward to as Tom Fannon and McSharry earned semi-final progression. 

Fannon finished fifth in his 50m freestyle semi-final in 21.65 seconds, which ranked his as sixth fastest across both semis.

McSharry came third in her 50m breaststroke semi-final. Her time of 30.43 seconds was seventh-fastest heading into the final.

 

Written by Stephen Barry and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.

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