Gráinne Murphy

Gráinne Murphy (born 26 March 1993) is a former swimmer who represented Ireland at international level. She qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, though due to illness only swam the heats of the 400m Freestyle. She was forced to withdraw from the rest of the meet, including her focus event (the 800m Freestyle), where she would have been in contention for a place in the final.

Gráinne Murphy
Personal information
Full nameGráinne Murphy
NationalityIrish
Born (1993-03-26) 26 March 1993
Wexford, Ireland[1]
Sport
SportSwimming
ClubHigh Performance Centre UL / Limerick SC
Medal record
European Championships (LC)
Silver medal – second place 2010 Budapest1500 m freestyle
European Championships (SC)
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Eindhoven 400 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Eindhoven 800 m freestyle
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2009 Prague 200 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2009 Prague 400 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2009 Prague 800 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Prague 1500 m freestyle

Career

Murphy hails from Ballinaboola, New Ross, County Wexford. An accomplished junior athlete, she won three gold medals and one bronze at the 2009 European Junior Swimming Championships[2] and was awarded Texaco Young Sportstar Award 2009.[3]

Murphy has also been successful at senior level, winning a silver medal in the 1,500 metres Freestyle at the 2010 European Aquatics Championships, ahead of Erika Villaécija García and behind '09 World Championship Silver Medallist, Lotte Friis. She is also the current holder of the Irish record for that event.[4]

Murphy then competed in the 2010 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Eindhoven. She took bronze in 400 m freestyle behind Melanie Costa and Ágnes Mutina. She also claimed bronze in the 800 m freestyle, behind Federica Pellegrini and Boglárka Kapás. She was shortlisted for RTÉ Sports Person of the Year in 2010.[5]

On 3 December 2011, she qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[6] However, on 31 July 2012, after swimming in the heats of the 400m freestyle, she revealed that she had been suffering from glandular fever and it forced her to withdraw from the rest of the competition. She had been a contender to make the final of her favoured event, the 800m freestyle, and had withdrawn from the 200m Freestyle earlier in the meet to conserve her health and energy for that race.[7]

Prior to London 2012 she was based at the High Performance centre at the University of Limerick. However, in the aftermath of the games she has returned to her hometown of New Ross, County Wexford to continue her training[8] after her coach Ronald Claes was fired from his post of High Performance Coach.[9]

She retired from swimming in 2015 due to a combination of lung infection and tonsillitis.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Media Guide 2010" (PDF). Swim Ireland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  2. Kenny, John (10 August 2010). "Impressive Murphy comes of age". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  3. "Swimming Champion Gráinne Murphy chosen as Texaco Young Sportstar Award winner". Texaco.ie. 12 November 2009. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  4. "Grainne Murphy lands European silver medal". RTÉ Sport. 14 August 2010. Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  5. "Shortlist for RTÉ awards named". The Irish Times. 15 December 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  6. "Murphy qualifies for Olympics". RTÉ Sport. 3 December 2011. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  7. "Swimming: Grainne Murphy left with little choice but to withdraw from the Olympics". RTÉ Sport. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  8. "Swimming: Grainne Murphy opts for home comforts as Limerick row rumbles on". Irish Independent.
  9. "Axing of Claes could send top swimmers abroad". Irish Independent.
  10. Lawlor, Damian (2020). When the world stops watching. Black & White Publishing. p. 272. ISBN 978 1 78530 312 8.


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