Gibbons wins bronze medal in Youth Olympic Games

PROMISING Athlone swimmer Brendan Gibbons claimed a bronze medal at the 2011 European Youth Olympic Games in Trabzon, Turkey. The 16-year-old, from Garnafailagh, Athlone, finished in a respectable third position in the Boys' 400m freestyle B final last week, clocking up a time of just over four minutes to finish behind second placed Lorenz Weiremans of Belgium, and winner Engin Yildirim (from the home nation Turkey). Gibbons was one of only three Irish male competitors to take home medals, along with Luke Fitzgibbon (Wexford) and Brian O'Sullivan (Newry). A son of Celine and John Gibbons, Brendan has dedicated himself to swimming since a young age, and the Athlone Community College student has really started to make headlines in recent months. In January, he qualified to represent the Irish Schools' squad following a qualification gala in Dublin, and then exploded onto the scene at the Irish Long Course Senior Championships, where he finished second in the 800m freestyle, and fourth in the 1500m freestyle. Considering Gibbons was competing against swimmers with several more years of experience (at the Long Course Senior Championships), this was a remarkable achievement for the Athlone dynamo. Brendan also claimed a bronze medal at the recent Celtic Tri-Nations meet in Swansea, Wales. Almost 50 countries took part at this year's European Youth Olympic Games in Turkey, and 109 events were competed for in nine different sports.