Danielle Hill became the first Irish swimmer to win a long course European Championships Gold medal in 27 years winning the 50m backstroke in Belgrade in a time of 27.73 seconds.
Danielle finished ahead of Theodora Drakou of Greece to the gold medal by just 0.14 seconds while Poland’s Adela Piskorska was third.
This win is a real confidence booster for Danielle just 5 weeks before representing Ireland at the Paris Olympic Games. This will be her second Games after competing in Tokyo three years ago.
The Larne swimmer was fastest out of the blocks and put in a strong final 25m to edge past the Greek swimmer and claim the first international win of her career.
The victory means Hill is the first Irish swimmer to win a European long course gold medal since Michelle Smith in 1997.
The county Antrim woman explained that her desire to be a role model for young athletes was a greater motivation even than individual success. “Money and medals are nice but if I can inspire a kid along the way that will be my job done. It’s probably the main reason I’m in the sport,” she said. Danielle coaches the young swimmers at Larne Swimming Club and was seen only last week supporting them at the annual Forest Feast Aquasprint Finals.