Laffan achieves 60-second feat

TWELVE-YEAR-OLD swimming sensation Paul Laffan from Douglas, Cork, yesterday became the first Irish swimmer in a generation to break the 60-second mark in the 100m freestyle.

The CBC student achieved the feat at the Mayfield pool yesterday in a Munster Grade A event. His landmark was achieved out of lane five in a time of 59.6 seconds and is a remarkable feat for an Irish swimmer of his age.

The last person to do it was Donncha O'Dea and he was 18 when he cracked the 60-seconds barrier in the 1970s.