Wexford swimmer Evan Bailey assists Ireland to seventh in Europe

Just three weeks after the Irish Open and Olympic Trials, Bailey and his colleagues showed excellent form on the opening morning.

He joined the National Centre Limerick trio of Finn McGeever, Jack Cassin and Cormac Rynn to compete in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay.

The Irish quartet, which included two senior international debuts from Cassin and Rynn, clocked a combined 7:18.71 to finish second in their heat and seventh overall to advance to the final on Monday evening.

Bailey’s time of 1:48.50 was the best produced by his team.

By the time the final was held, the temperatures had soared. However, the Irish contingent continued to perform impressively, with Bailey and his colleagues sealing a seventh-place finish.

With the sun setting in the outdoor Sports Centre Milan Gale Muskatirovic, the quartet of Bailey, Finn McGeever, Cormac Rynn and Jack Cassin stepped onto the European stage for the 4 x 200m freestyle relay final.

And the team produced another excellent performance, coming home quicker than their morning swim (7:18.71) in 7:17.97 to place seventh.

“It hurt quite a lot, the 200 free is a very demanding race, but it was nice to be up against the best and learn a bit from them,” Bailey said after Monday’s final.