Qualifying as tenth fastest swimmer in the ten-lane pool he set a PB of 2 min 12.2 sec before finishing ninth in the final.
‘It was a good experience for him,’ said AIB Tigers’ coach Paul du Feu this morning.
‘However Dan wasn’t so happy with the final.
He’s never happy if he doesn’t swim each race faster than the last!’ Halksworth’s next contest will be in the 200m individual medley and as he won silver in the 400m IM both he and du Feu believe he should make the final.
After that, who knows? Meanwhile Ashley Cope (15) set a PB by a good four seconds, finishing her 800m freestyle in 9 min 30.3 sec where, although she was second in her heat, she was 32nd in the event.
Victoria Rebours was 13th in the 14-15 age group of her 200m breast-stroke event and although she didn’t make the final, either, was pleased that she was the fourth fastest 14-year-old there.
Rosie Barrett might not have set a PB in the 100m butterfly but as du Feu said: ‘Despite being a 17-year-old this was the first time she has raced the 100m in a 50-metre pool.’ So the mood of the five teenagers is good, and by this time tomorrow we will know if Halksworth has made it to the evening session; to the final of the 17-18 year-olds 200m IM.
