\t\t\t\t\t2026 Commonwealth Games<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland received a blow last night as freestyler Victoria Catterson<\/a> announced that she was withdrawing from the remainder of the Commonwealth Games due to medical reasons.<\/p>\n Catterson was entered in the women\u2019s 100 freestyle this morning, leaving an empty lane 1 in heat 8, the first of the circle-seeded heats. She finished 14th in the 200 freestyle yesterday, clocking 2:02.73 to miss her lifetime best of 1:59.74 by three seconds.<\/p>\n She also swam in both the heats and finals of the women\u2019s 4\u00d7100 freestyle relay on Friday, splitting 55.35 on the anchor in the heats and 55.25 on the second leg in the final.<\/p>\n The finals relay lowered the Irish record in the event by half a second, posting 3:41.29 to break the previous standard of 3:41.75 from the 2023 World Championships which Catterson anchored in 54.76. Grace Davison<\/a> (55.23), Danielle Hill<\/a> (54.92), and Emily Hughes<\/a> (55.99) joined Catterson on the relay on Friday to set the new record.<\/p>\n Catterson is on the Irish team for the European Championships later this summer, which she now faces a race to be fit for. She will swim the 100 free and 200 free in Paris, as well as being part of any Irish relays entered.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<\/blockquote>\n