Wiltshire County Champs are back!
After a two year break, the Wiltshire County Swimming Championship and Age Group competitions returned, with the main block of the Championships taking place over two weekends at the Link Centre.
Over 200 swimmers took part, from 16 clubs, including 26 competitors from Swindon Dolphin. Awards were based on heat swims for the 200 and 400 events, with 50s and 100s being decided by finals, which only added to the excitement and tested swimmers on the vital skill of being able to swim even faster than their heats. Junior Championship awards were given for swimmers aged 15 years and under, and Overall Championship status was awarded to the fastest, irrespective of age.
Freddie Carter was Dolphin’s most prolific swimmer in the Overall Championship stakes, picking up 4 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze. Within his own 16 year age group, Carter amassed an incredible 10 gold medals, more than any other swimmer at the competition, and 3 silver.
Megan Watts' Junior Championship performances were also impressive, with 8 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze, and despite being in the 14 year age group, also collected 2 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze in the Overall Championships; 9 age group gold, and 3 age group silver made it a very fruitful competition.
Farrleigh Greaves put in some exceptional swims to secure 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze Junior Championship awards, plus a silver in the Overall Championships. Greaves also collected 5 age group gold and 1 age group silver. Lucas Carter also added his name to the list of Junior Championship winners with 3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze, in addition to his age group awards of 5 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze.
Ethan Gough was Dolphin’s fifth Championship medallist with a bronze. Junior Championship awards were also won by Ben Tait (2 silver), Sophie Leonard (1 silver), Lily Hunt (1 bronze), Betina Puszkarska (1 bronze).
Other age group medallists were Ethan Gough (3 gold, 1 bronze), Ben Tait (2 gold, 2 bronze), Sophie Leonard (1 gold, 8 bronze), Alfie Smithson (2 silver, 4 bronze), Lily Hunt (2 silver), Lewis Kane (1 silver, 1 bronze), Zak Parker (4 bronze), Jacob Cremin (3 bronze), Jessica Paton (1 bronze).
Dolphin swimmers made more than 70 appearances across the 72 finals. In addition to the age group medallists mentioned above, also making finals were Charlotte Gulliver, Erin Parker, Joseph Williams, Keira Essam, Molly Smithson and Zak Parker. Zak, Farrleigh and Erin need special mention for producing personal bests in all their heats, only to go faster again the finals; the only Dolphin swimmers to achieve this.
An impressive 73% PB rate along with an overall haul of 6 Championship gold, 6 Championship silver, 6 Championship bronze, and 15 Junior Championship gold, 8 Junior Championship silver, 7 Junior Championship bronze, as well as 35 age group gold, 14 age group silver and 29 age group bronze - made it worth the two year wait!
National Squad Lead Coach Dave Leonard said, “I have been so impressed with how the swimmers have been training, and I am so pleased that their hard work and commitment has been rewarded in such a great way. I am looking forward to the 10-13 year old Championship now, as well as the Distance Freestyle events, that will be happening over the coming couple of months."
Comments