It looks like Barry Murphy has surely claimed bragging rights in the family home in Dublin this Christmas.

Sycerika McMahon set an Irish senior record in the 100m freestyle heats on her final day of competition at the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona.

Baby steps is how swimmer Fiona Doyle described her approach to the tomorrow’s World Championships, each swim an opportunity to close the gap on the pool’s elite.

But for a mix-up, Sycerika McMahon could be in line to make a final at the swimming world championships in Barcelona next week.

IT’S hard to know which is the more rash, to make predictions or resolutions at this time of year, but invariably we all end up indulging in some crystal-ball gazing about the 12 months ahead. Just what has 2013 in store?

Another day, another record-breaking shift in the pool for Sycerika McMahon at the Irish Short Course Championships in Lisburn.

Irish swimmer Sycerika McMahon won five gold medals on the opening day of the Irish Short Course swimming championships in Lisburn yesterday.

The successes of Katie Taylor, Rory McIlroy, Sycerika McMahon and Cian O’Connor could become a distant memory, and sport’s potential to breathe new life into the Irish economy will be unrealised, if there are any further cuts to funding after the upcoming budget.

Sycerika McMahon followed up her 50m breaststroke bronze medal at the at the European Short Course Swimming Championships by qualifying for today’s 100m individual medley final.

Hannah Craig secured her passage to the Kayak K1 Slalom semi-finals after a nervous wait at Lee Valley White Water Centre yesterday.

Ye Shiwen returned to the Olympic pool after her other-worldly 400 metres individual medley swim to easily head the field in the heats of the shorter medley event.

Sycerika McMahon has failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 200m Individual Medley in the Olympics today.

A miserable morning in the Olympic Aquatic centre left two young Irish swimmers stunned and national performance director Peter Banks struggling for answers.

Irish sailing duo David Burrows and Peter O'Leary have finished in second place in the first of four races this afternoon in the Men’s Star Class.

Melaine Nocher was in upbeat mood this morning despite failing to qualify from her Women's 100m backstroke heat in the Olympics.

Irish swimmer Sycerika McMahon finished eighth in her Olympics 100m breaststroke heat today.

Ireland may not be claiming any medals in London’s Aquatic Centre this month but Swim Ireland’s National Performance Director believes the time is fast approaching when the country’s elite swimmers will be targeting podium places on the world stage.

THE SWIMMER: Sycerika McMahon, 17

Her name means ‘Flame’ in Indian and Sycerika McMahon’s star is certainly burning bright after a week in which the teenager bagged Olympic qualification and a European silver medal.

Sycerika McMahon, Irish swimming’s newest sensation, produced a brilliant performance to take a silver medal in the women’s 50 metres Breastroke at the European Senior Championships in Debrecen in Hungary yesterday.

Sycerika McMahon has won silver in the 50metres breaststroke at the European Swimming Championships in the Hungarian city of Debrecen - and it was so close to gold.

For the first time this week, Irish swimmers competing at the European Swimming Championships at Debrecen in Hungary failed to progress beyond the morning heats.

The Irish 4x200m Freestyle team took a 6th place finish at the European Championships in Debrecen, Hungary today.

Seventeen-years old Sycerika McMahon, who qualified for the Olympic Games on Tuesday, finished a creditable fifth in the final of the women’s 100 metres breaststroke at the European Swimming championships at Debrecen in Hungary

Sanita Puspure is the latest athlete to join Ireland’s Olympic Games tilt in the summer.

Two more Irish competitors, 17-year-old Belfast swimmer Sycerika McMahon and 23-year-old Melanie Nocher, have qualified for the London Olympics at the European Swimming Championships inDebrecen, Hungary, taking Ireland’s tally to four.

Melanie Nocher has capped off a positive day for Irish swimming by joining Sycerika McMahon in qualifying for the Olympic Games.

Seventeen-year-old swimming prospect Sycerika McMahon is London-bound after securing the Olympic A standard in the 100m breaststroke this morning.

Irish swimmer Sycerika McMahon has qualified for the Olympics at the European Swimming Championships this morning.

Sycerika McMahon has qualified for the women's 100m freestyle at May's European Swimming Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.

Two Irish records have been broken in the morning heats on day three of the Irish Swimming Championships and Olympic Trials at the National Aquatics Centre.

One of Irish swimming’s oldest records fell on day three of the Irish Long Course Swimming Championships and Olympic Trials, as 20-year-old Bethany Carson slipped under Michelle Smith’s 100m butterfly mark from 1996.

It was only a four-hundredths of a second gap, but it was enough for Karl Burdis to qualify for May’s European Championships in Hungary last night.

Melanie Nocher, the European Short Course bronze medallist, won the women’s 100 backstroke final in a new personal best time of one minute 1.92 seconds at the Carlton National Swimming Championships and Olympic trials in Dublin yesterday.

Although Olympic qualification was an unlikely prospect during the second night of Irish Long-Course Championship finals, there were other prospects.

Gráinne Murphy came agonisingly close to breaking Michelle Smith de Bruin’s Irish record in the final of the women’s 200m freestyle on the opening day of the Carlton Irish National Swimming and Olympic Trials at the National Aquatic Centre (NAC) in Dublin yesterday.

THE final day of the Irish Open Short Course Championships kicked off with an Irish senior record from Barry Murphy in the heats of the 50m butterfly (24.03), where he knocked half a second off the old record which has stood since 2002.

GRÁINNE MURPHY failed to qualify for the 1500m freestyle final at the World Long Course Swimming Championships in Shanghai yesterday despite winning her heat by eight seconds.

TEENAGE Irish swimming sensation Sycerika McMahon is shaking up the traditional powerhouses in Europe with a second gold medal in as many days at the Tasmajdan Swimming Complex in Serbia.

AISLING COONEY and Melanie Nocher narrowly missed World Championship qualification at the Irish Long Course finals at the NAC yesterday.

IRISH ATHLETICS legend Sonia O’Sullivan is set for an Olympic return – but not on the track.