HEAD coach Graham Nash has paid tribute to Leamington Spa Amateur Swimming Club’s medalists after their Warwickshire County Championships heroics.
LSASC collected 60 medals from their 78 swimmers in the event staged over three weekends at The Coventry Baths. Additionally, 396 long-course personal bests and 40 club records were broken.
“I am incredibly proud of all of our swimmers, especially those competing in their first County Championships,” said Nash.
“There were so many outstanding individual performances and achievements – whether it was a personal best, club record, regional qualifying time or a medal.”
In all, the club took home 29 gold, 12 silver and 19 bronze medals, with Abby Jolley, 18, and Joshua Golsby-Taylor, 16, notably sweeping the board with victories in their respective 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events.
Golsby-Taylor set a new county record at junior level in the 100m race, adding to a fourth gold medal in the 200m individual medley.
Fifteen-year-old Jason Herbert took gold in the 50m and 100m butterfly and backstroke events, a feat replicated by Molly Quelch, 18, in the 50m and 100m freestyle and butterfly.
Amongst the club’s junior swimmers, Teia Hendley, 13, won the 50m and 100m breaststroke, 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley to complete a sensational showing at the Championships.
Annabel Crees, also 13, scooped golds in the 50m butterfly, 100m and 200m backstroke, while Andre Onyekwe, 12, swept all before him in the 50m freestyle and backstroke. Thirteen-year-olds Axel Martin and Charlie Rounce completed the gold rush in the 200m breaststroke and butterfly races respectively.
As a result of their performances, 11-year-old swimmers Grace Talbot, Eliza Vandamme, Gracie White, Jacob Deavall, Tyler Cross and Isaac Curtis have all been selected to take part in the Warwickshire County Pathways Programme – a scheme which aims to develop the best budding young swimmers in the county.
As far as the team events were concerned, Leamington were also a class above in the relays.
They took gold in the boys’ and girls’ 4x100m freestyle, followed by the boys’ 4x200m freestyle in the open age group.
