A young swimmer from Clogherhead has been awarded the ‘Irish Long Distance Swimming Association’s Junior Swimmer of the Year Award for 2021.
Fifteen year old Abi McNamara completed many challenging open water distance swims during 2021 including, as a member of a relay team to swim the challenging Gyles Quay to Port Oriel in Clogherhead 21k.
Abi was chosen for the award by an independent international panel of Judges from Australia, South Africa, USA and Europe who made their decision based on her open water achievements as a 15 year old in 2021.
Abi, a 5th Year student in Ballymakenny College, has a passion for sea swimming and can be seen swimming regularly off the Beach in Clogherhead.
She is an Open Water Infinity Peak Performance athlete also swimming with Carlingford Swimmers in Carlingford Lough, Leinster Open Sea Swimmers, is a Swim Ireland Certified Coach and Senior Squad Swimmer with Newry & Mourne Swim Club and a member of the Water Safety Ireland (WSI) Louth Surf Lifesaving.
Abi also swam the Battle of Carlingford 7.5k swim for the second time in 2021 under Irish Long Distance Swim Association Rules.
She was shortlisted for this award in 2019 when she was runner up.The collective 2020 & 2021 awards were scheduled for November 2021 but postponed due to rising covid cases and took place in Galway recently.
Abi began swimming at a very young age and graduated from the Aura Swim Academy at the age of 7 and progressed to Swim Ireland competitive swimming at age 8.
It wasn’t long before she found her love of open water swimming when she participated in an Irish Water Safety week on Clogherhead Beach at aged 9.
From then on she was hooked and began competing in Surf Lifesaving Competitions representing Louth Surf Lifesaving Team and Leinster. Abi continued to pursue her passion for distance open water swimming Iron distances at 13yrs of age under the expert guidance of Infinity peak performance swimming.
Abi now is a year round endurance open water swimmer in all sea temperatures with a love of marathon distances under ILDSA rules (Skins, no wetsuit).
Some of the organised open water events in 2021 which Abi has successfully completed are;
- Copeland Island to Donaghadee Sea Swim.
- 10k National Championships Lough Lene.
- 7.5k Battle of Carlingford Lough Omeath to Carlingford Sea Swim.
- 22k Port Oriel Swim Ná Snámhóirí Ógá (Irl) 3 swimmer Relay Gyles Quay to Port Oriel Clogherhead. Ratified by ILDSA.
- Irelands Eye to Howth.
- 101st Dublin Liffey Swim
- 91st Dun Laoghaire Harbour Swim
- 5k B Y Sea Swim Bangor.
Abi has a passion for the open sea and open water swimming and is also an advocate for promoting a respect for the water and water safety. She is currently training for qualification as a Beach Lifeguard and about to commence her training as a Water Safety Trainee Instructor.
Abi has strong links with Water Safety Ireland and RNLI Clogherheead and is currently in training for a 22k Solo Port Oriel Sea Swim (Gyle Quay to Port Oriel) planned for July which will be a fundraiser in support of RNLI & Water Safety Ireland for all that they do in keeping us safe in the water.
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