County records fall
Excellent results from the Middlesex County Age Groups in Enfield saw our club swimmers winning 41 medals - 17 gold, 13 silver and 11 bronze - despite facing tough opposition from some of the very best from Ealing, Hillingdon and Barnet.
HARRY BREAKS COUNTY RECORDS
Harry Needs (15) showed much sharper form than in recent months, winning 4 gold medals in 100m and 200m breaststroke (brs), 100m fly and 200m free. His times in 200m brs (2.27.35) and 100m fly (58.61) are new boys County records and the 200m brs sets a new club mark for the 14/15 age group. The fly club record still stands at 58.20, which was converted from a longcourse time last year. Harry's 1.59.35 for 200m free is a new PB and club record.
KELLY AND FELIX OUTSTANDING
Kelly Hookway (11) and Felix Samuels (14) displayed tremendous versatility and talent, matching each other with double gold, a silver and a bronze. Kelly won 100m back in a club record of 1.14.55 and also 200m back in 2.40.29. She took silver in 200m IM and bronze in 100m brs.
Felix thrilled the packed house with 2 of the most exciting races of the weekend, taking gold in 200m IM by overtaking his rival James Chapman of Staines during the final 50m freestyle. He was 1.2 seconds down after the breaststroke leg and Chapman had beaten Felix in the 400m free the day before, so it was a great comeback by Felix with a split of 30.76 to snatch the gold. Then in a frantically close 100m back final, Felix again grabbed the gold in 1.04.23, with the next 3 boys finishing within half a second of his time. Felix added silver in 400m free and bronze in 200m back in good PBs.
ED AND ALEX BRINGING BACK THE GLORY DAYS
Ed Walsh (18) and Alex Mackay (16) won double gold and a silver each. Ed’s wins came in 100m brs and 200m free, in the latter he swam 1.54.80, only 0.19 of a second outside the club record of 1.54.61, set by Nigel Goldsworthy (British freestyle Champion) in the early 1980s. He won silver in 100m fly in an outstanding best of 57.95.
Alex was a clear winner in 200m fly and 400m IM, swimming PBs of 2.16.23 and 4.36.81. In the 400m IM, Alex is now just over a second away from another longstanding club record of 4.35.54, set in the 1980s by international swimmer Alan Grieg. He won silver in 200m free in another best of 1.58.22.
SARAH AND ALEX SCOOP BREASTSTROKE TITLES
Double breaststroke gold went to 12 year olds Sarah Taylor-Reid and Alex Peake. Sarah swam 1.20.96 in 100m and 2.51.96 in 200m, and Alex just beat her times in the boys events with 1.19.23 and 2.51.33. Alex Burgess, also 12, won gold in the boys 400m free in 4.40.13 and silver in 100m and 200m back. All 3 are chasing National Age Group times although still training at Intermediate level.
DEVON'S CLUB RECORD
Devon Robins (14) enjoyed a welcome breakthrough at this meet, winning double silver and triple bronze in a host of new PBs. Her silvers were in 100m fly (1.06.41) and 200m free (2.12.29) and she took bronze in 400m IM (5.11.79), 100m and 200m breaststroke (1.16.56 and 2.46.43). Devon's 100m breaststroke time is a new club record, congratulations.
15 year olds Naiomi Wakeham-Aredes and Ilya Skliarov both won silver in 100m brs, Naiomi adding a 2nd silver in 200m brs and bronze in 200m free, while Ilya had to settle for bronze in his 200m brs.
Robin Neumann (10) did very well to take silver in 200m back and bronze in 400m free and is one of the most exciting prospects of our younger squad swimmers.
Bogac Ayhan swam an outstanding 200m back race to snatch silver away from Felix in 2.18.24 and was unlucky to be squeezed into 4th in the close 100m back final with 1.04.78. Bronze medals went to Camilla Grossman (400m IM), Tamsin McKinnon (100m brs) and James Burgess (200m fly).
James showed impressive improvements and others to perform very well although just missing the medals included Jack Martin, Liam Coyle, Iao Pok Wong, Kat Spooner, Metin Ayhan, Ed Graham and Chris Harvey.
***
Home
