Swimmers from across the North West of England enjoyed a spectacularly successful weekend in the pool, with local club stars delivering a host of medals and personal bests at the Trafford Metro meet, while Masters athletes returned from Poland laden with European honours.
European Glory for Masters Contingent
The competitive action spanned the continent, with Masters swimmers travelling to Lublin, Poland for the European Short Course Championships. The British team made a significant impact, with Helen Jenkins of Southport dominating her events to claim an impressive seven gold medals across the Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Individual Medley disciplines.
Warrington Masters also enjoyed outstanding success. Carl Barkley secured gold in the 50m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 50m Backstroke, and 100m Individual Medley. His club colleague, Spencer Glover, added a gold in the 200m Freestyle and a silver in the 50m Freestyle. Meanwhile, Sean Keyes of City of Liverpool returned home with three silver medals, and Melanie Sayed collected two silvers.
St Helens Stars Conclude Year in Style at Trafford
Closer to home, St Helens Swimming Club concluded their competitive year at the Trafford Metro meet with a series of stellar performances. Izzy Wainwright led the charge, securing gold in the 50m, 100m, and 200m Breaststroke events, alongside a silver in the 200m Backstroke, achieving personal best times in all her races.
She was far from alone in her success. Noah Langley was rewarded for a busy schedule with two golds, a silver, and three bronze medals, also setting personal bests in every event. Hayden Battle produced four personal bests, yielding a gold and a silver, while Edith Keely-Goose continued her fine form with golds in the 100m and 200m Backstroke, setting a PB in the 100m event.
The medal haul for St Helens continued with Daisy Chisnall (one gold, two silvers, one bronze), Freya Ashton (one gold, one silver, one bronze), and Miles Hughes, who took gold in the 50m Butterfly and bronze in the 100m Freestyle.
Other notable performances included silvers for Sebastian Wade and Jessica Bagdonavicius in the 100m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke, both with PBs. Oliver Crosby secured silver in the 100m and 200m Backstroke. Bronze medals were won by Sofia Bagdonavicius (100m & 200m Breaststroke, PBs), Harry Glover (100m Freestyle), and Jaxon Pullen (100m Breaststroke).
Prespot Swimmers Impress in Manchester
Prescot Swimming Club also made the journey to Manchester and delivered a powerful set of results. William Gill rounded off his year in fine style with three golds, a silver, and two bronze medals. Izzy Carter was in brilliant form, claiming three gold medals, two of them in personal best times.
Chloe Stewart bagged a brace of golds along with a silver and three bronze medals. Ella Hewett secured a full set of gold, silver, and bronze, all in personal best times, while Imogen Dinsdale earned bronze in the 50m Freestyle and 100m Backstroke.
Vlad Achim enjoyed a successful weekend, picking up a gold, three silvers, and a bronze, setting multiple personal bests in the process. Further medals came from Georgia Watkins and Grace Cunliffe (each a silver), and bronzes for James Beever and Jacob Lupton in the 200m Backstroke, and Yi Kai Chen in the 100m Butterfly. Sophie Lutas ended her year in great style by achieving six new Personal Bests.
The weekend's action sets the stage perfectly for the upcoming Swim England Winter Championships in Sheffield, where many of these athletes will look to continue their impressive form on a national stage.
