Bishop’s Stortford Swimming Club members win 41 medals on second weekend of Swim England Hertfordshire Swimming Championships
Bishop’s Stortford Swimming Club members were on top form on the second weekend of the Swim England Hertfordshire Swimming Championships as they claimed a total of 41 medals.
The contingent also bagged 18 junior championship and six championship awards at Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre in St Albans.
Daniel Cara and Cian Millsom, in the 10-11 age group, both performed superbly at their first county championships.
Cara took an impressive eight seconds off his entry time and finished fourth in the 100m backstroke heats to secure a place in the final, where he finished a very respectable fifth. Millsom swam against very strong competition to secure a place in the 100m freestyle final and came seventh.
Three of the club’s 11-year-olds made their first appearance at counties, with Evie Lowers, Linke Groenewald and Luca Tse reaching the finals of the 100m butterfly, 100m breaststroke and 100m freestyle respectively.
Returning 11-year-olds Taras Boiko, Harrison Dodwell and Kenny Millsom all excelled. Boiko struck gold in the 400m freestyle and 100m butterfly as well as taking silver in the 200m and 400m individual medley.
Dodwell achieved personal bests and top-10 finishes in all of his events, including a four-second PB to reach the 100m breaststroke final where he was joined by team-mate Kenny Millsom.
There were Stortford finalists in all of the male 100m freestyle finals. Cian Millsom (10-11 year), Dodwell, Tse and Boiko (all 12 year), Guy Spearman-Baines and Noah Conroy (both 13 year), Benjamin Palmer (14 year) and Elliot Hall (15 year) all securing their places in the age group finals while Dylan Davenport and Brandon Macdonald-Williams swam in the 16/over final.
Top-three places were taken by gold medallists Palmer and Hall as well as bronze medallist Davenport.
The medals kept on coming for the 13 and 14 year age groups, with Conroy taking silver in the male/open 13 year 100m butterfly.
Summer Miller, 12, added to her 800m freestyle silver medal from weekend one with five top-three finishes – gold in the 100m butterfly, 200m IM and 400m IM as well as silver in the 100m and 400m freestyle.
Palmer, 14, dominated the boys’ age group freestyle events, taking gold in the 400m and 100m freestyle and earning second place in the 400m freestyle 15/under junior championships.
Edie Foster took gold in the 14 year age group for the 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle.
The older swimmers were on top form, with three swimmers in the 15 year category winning top-three places in all of their events.
Hall had a fantastic weekend, securing medals in all of the male/open events he entered, taking gold in the 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 200 IM and 400m freestyle plus silver in the 400m IM.
Rose Conday, also 15, got medals in all of her events, taking silver in the 100m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 200m and 400m IM and bronze for the 400m freestyle.
Molly Greatbatch won gold in the 100m breaststroke and bronze in both the 100m backstroke and 200m IM.
In the 16/over category, Macdonald-Williams earned gold in the 200m IM, newly-elected club captain Emma Fields took top spot in 100m butterfly, Jake Lloyd won gold in the 100m butterfly and silver in the 400m IM while Niamh James secured gold in both the 100m backstroke and 200m IM.
Stortford’s A relay teams in the youngest age group (13/under) finished with two silver and two bronze medals, together with fourth- and eighth-place finishes.
The junior championship (15/under) medley team were incredible, with the mixed medley, female medley, mixed freestyle and female freestyle teams bringing home four gold medals between them.