Swim stars win gala by a whisker
Published: 25 November, 2010
by STEVE BARNETT
SWIMMERS from Camden Swiss Cottage took part in one of the most exciting galas in the club’s history at the weekend as they narrowly beat Ealing in the second round of the National Arena League.
In neighbouring lanes the two teams really fought head-to-head for every point. And a series of close finishes saw youngsters from across Camden and Islington join forces to win 14 races and finish second in a further 25 to beat Ealing by just six points.
There was a double win for Emily House in the 11 years and under category. She finished 2.5 seconds clear of her rivals in the 50m backstroke, before going on to win the 50m freestyle with a personal best time of 29.74 secs.
The winning run continued with Rosie Hughes, Olivia Willis and James Slade all striking gold in their respective 100m backstroke races. Scott Broadis won the 15 and under 100m breaststroke, while Harry Needs and Devon Robins both touched home first in their open 100m butterfly events.
The precious points piled-up with Sarah Taylor-Reid, Felix Samuels and Jessica Hobbs all recording personal bests to win silver medals.
The Camden club also enjoyed a series of relay victories.
Yohann Panthakee, Sebastian Maskrey, Segev Gonen Cohen and Bryce Puszet combined to win the boys’ 11 and under freestyle relay. The boys’ 15 and under freestyle relay team of Will Rittenhouse, Alex Peake, Scott Broadis and Marlon Gasparotto also won.
The girls’ 15 and under relay team of Paloma Friedrich, Amelia Brown, Rosie Hughes and Kelly Hookway won their freestyle race, before Tam McKinnon and Sophie Rittenhouse replaced Brown and Hookway in the team to win the medley relay.
The girls’ 13 and under medley relay team of Olivia Willis, Tamir Gonen Cohen, Isobel Moffatt and Morgan Mills took the final gold by just over 1.5 seconds.