A team of 17 from South Lincs Swimming Club headed north to compete at the City of Leeds National Qualifier.
It was an opportunity for the club’s older swimmers to set times for inclusion in the national championships rankings and for the younger swimmers to experience a high level of competition.
Charlie Bisby came away with five gold and a silver medal in the boys 12 years and under age group, setting a host of personal best times. His standout swims included the 200m individual medley, in which he lowered his PB by more than seven seconds in the heats, and then lowered it again in the final to finish in a time of 2.43.58 to take his first gold of the meet.
Bisby romped to victory and more gold medals in the 100m and 200m backstroke events and repeated that double in the 100m and 200m freestyle events. His silver medal came in the 100m breaststroke, where he lowered his PB by six seconds in the heats and then in a great final, dropped a further five seconds to stop the clock in 1.29.21, but was just beaten on the touch.
Kitty Lamb was competing in the girls 12 years and under age group and took to the blocks 19 times over the course of the meet in heats and finals. She was rewarded with three gold medals, a silver and a bronze. Her first medal came in a closely fought 200m freestyle, which saw her beaten on the final stroke. Even so, she clocked a PB of 2.27.66. In the shorter 100m freestyle, Lamb could not be challenged as she stormed home for gold in 1.07.36. There was gold for her in the 100m breaststroke too, with a PB of 1.30.55. Lamb also dominated the final of the 100m backstroke, leading from the gun to claim a third gold medal in 1.19.42. For good measure, she took bronze in the 200m individual medley.
Sigourney Bolton had an impressive weekend, despite only contesting the three breaststroke events
She stormed to a brace of bronze medals in the girls 14 years age group. In the 100m breaststroke she posted a PB to qualify for the final where she lowered it by a further three seconds to claim bronze in 1.19.66.
Bolton then set a PB by some 1.40 seconds in the 50m breaststroke as she touched the wall in 37.53 seconds. She set another PB in the 200m breaststroke heat before taking a second bronze medal with a further best time of 2.53.44. Her swims were strong enough to see her move into the rankings for the National Summer Championships later in the year.
In the 1500m freestyle Matteo Monaco dropped 37 seconds from his previous best time to touch the wall in 18.41.43. He kept up this momentum with further PBs in the 800m and 400m freestyle events, with times of 9.56.06 and 4.48.79 respectively. A strong 100m backstroke swim saw him qualify for the final in the boys 14 years age group, where he set a PB of 1.10.33 to claim bronze. In the 200m backstroke he broke the two-and-a-half minute barrier for the first time with a PB 2.29.69
Alfie Bisby’s 800m freestyle was just outside his PB as he finished in 9.07.14. However, there were new best times for him in the 50m and 100m freestyle, where he finished with 26.75 and 57.33 respectively. In the 50m butterfly there was a big PB as he dropped 1.14 seconds to touch home in 27.85.
Thomas Bruce set new PBs in all his heat swims – his 50m and 100m freestyle were of particular note as he finished in new standards of 25.30 and 55.59 respectively. He lowered that mark further in the 50m freestyle final, to 25.23. That swim was enough to see him enter the rankings for Nationals.
Beatrice Finch finished the 400m individual medley in 5.15.76 to also enter the National rankings.
Oscar Goldsmith produced a number of PBs. In the 50m breaststroke he lowered it by 1.41 seconds to 33.84. There was a three-second improvement in the 200m freestyle to 2.06.45 and further PBs in the 100m breaststroke and 100m butterfly, 1.15.02 and 1.03.41.
Daniela Bringeman set PBs in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, 1.25.89 and 3.04.86, with Hannah Bruce also posting a major PB in the 200m freestyle of 2.18.42. In the final, she lowered that to 2.17.59. Bruce also qualified for the 200m butterfly final, where she broke the
three-minute barrier with a PB 2.56.66.
Stefano Fiore’s PBs included a three-second improvement in the 100m breaststroke, 1.18.48, and a five-second drop in the 200m breaststroke, 2.53.79.
Of particular note was Frank Lamb PBs was a three-second improvement in the 200m breaststroke, 3.03.08. He clocked 1.13.33 in the 100m backstroke, one of six finals he competed in.
Jess O’Herlihy set a PB in the 200m freestyle of 2.16.30. There was more than a half-second improvement for her in the 100m butterfly, 1.10.12, and in her 200m individual medley she lowered her PB by more than six seconds to 2.36.64.
Head coach Keith Haynes said: “It is great to see South Lincs swimmers entering the national rankings for summer championships.”
