Tom Fannon Creates Irish Record For 50m Freestyle Semis

Tom Fannon created a new record to win the 50m men’s freestyle heat and make his way to the semi-finals. On Thursday morning, at La Defence Arena, the record was set.

Tom Fannon made his debut in the Olympics and was able to touch the wall in 21.79 before Croatias’ Jere Hribar who made it at 22.08. Mike Schreuders from Aruba was able to touch it at 22.14.

(Also read: Day Five at Paris Olympics 2024: Team Ireland’s Busy Schedule and Medal Hopes)

Before competing in the Olympics and switching his direction to Ireland, he took part in the Commonwealth Games for England.

The young Fannon, who is just 26 years old at the moment, became the first Irish swimmer to break the 22-second barrier with his excellent timing of 21.95 at the Irish Open. In 2023, he competed in the World Championships and finished 20th in the men’s 50m freestyle.

Tom Fannon is more than confident about his next swim which will take place on Thursday for the semis. The swim would start at 7:44 pm and he is sure that his speed will be quicker this time.

Fannon told the reporters afterwards that he was disappointed with how he finished the race, however, still, he was surprised for having broken the Irish record. He said, “Honestly, I’m surprised with that time, it was such a bad finish, I was long into the wall”.

Also, he admitted, “I can’t really see much, I’ve got bad eyesight, and I had to squint to see the board. So 21.7, I was like, ‘oh my God, wow’”.

He shared his views on being doubtful before the race. He was of the view that everyone before starting the race is doubtful, which is natural. They always wonder whether they would be able to do it faster. A swimmer is not confident enough till he touches the wall, he verified. That is the precise time, Fannon thought, when the participant is filled with confidence.

For his next swim in the 50m freestyle semis, Tom Fannon is looking forward to the swim. He knows how to take it from there as he has now recovered and would try harder to be faster this time, he reaffirmed.

The crowd was an instant booster for Tom Fannon

The player credited much of the support and cheers coming from a sizable Irish contingent. He confessed that those cheers gave him an instant boost, on the basis of which, he was able to finish it off well, despite not being completely satisfied with his overall performance.

It was an instant morale booster for Fannon as his family and friends were there in the crowd cheering for him. He exclaimed, “It’s great, the crowd is full of Irish people, my family is in the stands, you see the Irish flags everywhere.”

He was certain that this was what drove the performance and giddy up the speed for reaching the final line. The close ones cheering for the players from the crowd make a good atmosphere and Fannon was excited that he was able to make his family proud, and who were present at that moment with him.

In addition, he was grateful to his coach, Steven Beckerleg who told him to just enjoy the swim. He mentioned that the coach spoke to him, “Don’t let the moment seize you too much but enjoy it”. Fannon followed his instructions and that is when he came out, waving to the crowd and to acknowledge his own efforts for beating Ryan’s Irish Record set at the European Aquatics Championships in June.

In the same 50m freestyle, his competitor, Shane Ryan was scheduled to swim in the same heat 8 but did not show up.