Dolphin Shine at Wilts Youths
Event: Wiltshire County Youth Age Group and Championships 2008 Venue: Link Centre Swindon (25m) Date: 1st, 2nd & 8th March 2008
Two weekends of the 2008 Wiltshire ASA County Youth Championships drew to a close on Saturday evening at the Link Centre with Swindon Dolphin completing their campaign by scooping an impressive haul of 5 Junior and 11 Senior Championship titles, 7 Championship Best Times (CBTs) and 87 individual, age group, medals.
Commonwealth Medallist, Chris Jones, led the way taking the men’s 50, 100 and 200m breaststrokes – all in CBTs as well as winning the 50m freestyle ‘skins’ prize. Tilly Gray was also in superb form claiming the women’s 50, 100 & 200m butterfly Championships – recording CBTs in her 50 and 100m events.
Meanwhile, there were Senior Championship titles for Jon Audis in the 100m individual medley and in the 50 & 100m backstrokes, and for Chief Coach, Andi Manley, in the 50 & 100m freestyles. Audis also secured a CBT in the 100m backstroke.
Elizabeth Beckett kept the Dolphin flag flying by winning the girls’ 100 & 200m breaststroke Junior Championships in addition to taking gold in the senior 200m event. Cathal Westman was triumphant in the boys’ 100 & 200m breaststroke Junior Championships as was Liam Herbert in the 100m freestyle. The highlight of Herbert’s weekend, however, came in his 200m backstroke swim when he recorded a time of 2.16.57 to achieve his first ever individual, National Qualifying Time.
A succession of stunning performances saw Jones, Beckett and Gray all set new Club Records while Mel Agius picked up an Age Group Best Time in the 50m butterfly.
The men’s 4X50m medley and freestyle relay teams were unsurpassed and there were second place finishes for the boys’ and girls’ freestyle and medley quartets as well as the women’s freestyle foursome.
On the whole, it was satisfying to witness 26 Dolphin swimmers reach the championship podium over the three days of competition, amongst them many youngsters who will have a further chance to impress at their own British Age Group Category (Bagcats) Championships very soon. For some of the older swimmers, the next few weeks sees them undertaking a number of fundraising initiatives in preparation for the high altitude training Camp in South Africa in April.
Results:
Source: Swindon Dolphin Press Team
