Bognor swim stars earn county colours

Training paid off with many gaining regional times and achieving medals and county rankings.

In the younger age group Alys Turner, Georgia Spink and Romney Pluthero competed at their first county championships and did well.

Spink and Turner competed in the 50m breaststroke, both achieving personal-best times of 49.33 and 51.66secs. Pluthero made the finals of 50m breaststroke, backstroke and freestyle for nine-year-olds, getting PBs in all three and fifth in the breaststroke.

In the next age group for girls, Holly Porter competed in the 200m backstroke for only the second time and came 12th.

Emily Guiry achieved PBs in six events and was in the 50m and 100m butterfly finals for 11-year-olds and recieved rosettes in both.

Guiry was one of the youngest swimmers in the girls’ 800m freestyle, along with Elly Fox, Anna Turner and Abbie Turner. Abbie trains with Chichester Cormorants and Bognor SC and swam extremely well, achieving four automatic qualifying times for the regional championships. She won the 200m 12-year-old girls’ butterfly and came second in the 12-year-olds’ 400m individual medley.

Samuel Hawkins competed in the 11-year-old boys 100m individual medley and 200m backstroke, freestyle and IM. In the backstroke he knocked two seconds off his best and came second.

Among older boys there were notable efforts from George Laney, Samuel Webb, Josh Aldous and Jacob West. West won the 15-year-old boys’ 100m butterfly and freestyle, and was second in the backstroke and breaststroke. The foursome took third in the open men’s medley relay with Webb on backstroke, Aldous on breaststroke, West on butterfly and George Laney freestyle.

Aldous was third in the men’s open 50m breaststroke, Webb sixth in the 50m breaststroke and 100m individual medley.

The older girls performed well, Anna Turner achieved six PBs and was sixth in the 800m freestyle. Jazmine Day achieved regional times in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke.

They, with Elly Fox and Ella Porter, were finalists in the 200m medley relay for 16-and-unders. All achieved personal best times in their 50m strokes.

Thanks go to Bognor coaches Chris Adams and Sue Eason.