Nine medals and four records in English Schools Swimming Championships
Plymouth College once again cemented their position as one of Europe’s leading swimming specialist schools with outstanding results from the 57th English Schools Swimming Association Relay Championships at the London Aquatics Centre – a venue which holds so many happy memories for the College, with current sixth former Ruta Meilutyte winning her Olympic title in the very same pool in 2012.
Plymouth College’s quest was not without some initial difficulties. A broken ankle to Joseph Thompson forced them to withdraw their Junior male relays en masse, and with Ruta and Wolfram O’Connor unable to attend due to mild injury scares, a slightly depleted team made their way up the M5 and across the M4 for an early afternoon start.
Four Championships records were the order of the day for the College as they set about their business in the Senior Age Group to take three of the four titles. In the Female 200m Freestyle relay, Fernanda Delgado, Eliza Duffy, Charlotte Atkinson and Juliette Casini were to equal the meet record, whilst Duffy, Rafaella Van Nee, Atkinson and Casini were to smash the 200m Medley relay record to win the event by over half the length of the pool.
In the Senior Male 200m Freestyle relay, Tom Fannon, Joe Hulme, Myles Pillage and Darren Lim were to take the title and the record not just once in the heat but again in the final. Silver in the 200m Medley event with Freddy Clampett replacing Pillage was one of the tightest finishes of the day – Mount Kelly taking their sole title in this particular race.
A stunning final leg from Emma England was to ensure gold in the Intermediate Female 200m Freestyle relay, with Tegan Drew, Jessica Manning and Rosie Whittaker providing the early running for Plymouth. With Andrea Todorovic and Yasmin Boff stepping in for Whittaker and Manning, a further silver was assured in the 200m Medley version.
In the Male Intermediate 200m Freestyle relay, Iestyn Cole, Nathan Linden, Oscar Brain and Sam Dailley were to secure a further silver, with Tom Beagley replacing Linden for bronze in the 200m Medley relay. The final medal of the day was to come courtesy of the Junior Female 200m Freestyle relay, with Duru Tanir, Beth Dailley, Elle Ussi and Lauren Hession claiming a well deserved silver.
With the competition dominated by Plymouth College and Millfield School for so many years, it seems befitting that the twelve Championship records are now shared equally between them with six apiece.