Youngsters combine at Middlesex Youth Championships

Hackney Aquatics swimmers combined for 17 medals at the Middlesex Youth Championships.

A squad of 30 competed at the London Aquatics Centre, adding to eight medals won in the Age Group event, with no fewer than 132 personal bests also set from 161 races.

Leading the medal charge was Ryan McCoy (14) who won gold in the 100m and 200m butterfly in times that rank him in the top 10 nationally, plus bronze medals in 50m butterfly and 50m, 100m and 1,500m freestyle.

Jude Costley (14) won bronze in 50m and 100m backstroke in top-10 times, while Lily Girardet (15) won bronze in the 50m and 200m backstroke and Margot Celestine (14) added 400m medley bronze, their first county medals.

Marlow Depeza Purvis (15) won his first county medal when taking silver in the 200m breaststroke, while Zach Zeldin Steinmann (16) won 50m backstroke silver and 50m freestyle bronze.

Completing the haul was Ella Sharman (15), who won 100m breaststroke bronze, and Kevin Agudelo Lopez (14), who took 200m butterfly bronze.

No fewer than 17 Hackney swimmerrs also swam 100 per cent long course personal bests over the weekend, including Lopez, Ilyas Ahmed, Thomas Archer, Celestine, Lottie Dahlen, Ley Ito, Paige McCoy, Mika Ogden, Ruan O’Toole Douglas, Joe Parker, Ronnie Phillimore, Juan Pablo Piedra Ojeda, Isla Silva, Matyas Sinko, Joe Tarnoky, Stella Thomas Epstein and Zeldin Steinmann.

Head coach Rick Hall said: “The team were professional and managed themselves well in all areas throughout the weekend. We had prepared very hard for this meet and the swimmers took what they had learnt throughout the season into their races.

“Most impressively though, on two separate occasions we had an official approach us commending our behaviour and attitude with one saying we were a great example of how a team should act.”

Hackney finished with 24 medals in total, including five gold, four silver and 16 bronze, surpassing last year’s haul of 13 and the squad will now prepare for meets at Basildon and the Regional Championships.

For more information on Hackney Aquatics, including their Masters and Learn to Swim Academy, visit hackneyaquaticsclub.org or email membership@hackneyaquaticsclub.org.