Personal bests were lowered and medals accumulated by members of the Blenheim Swimming Club at the recent New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championships.
The event ran from 27 September to 1 October in Christchurch, the first time in 16 years the city had hosted a national swimming event - its return largely due to the newly-opened Parakiore Sports Centre.
Seven BSC swimmers met the qualifying times for the competition and made the journey south where they all performed creditably, each at least securing a season or personal best.
Jack Love once again proved his prowess as an open level swimmer, his most notable result being a second-placing in the country in the 400m individual medley. He also made open A finals in the 200m individual medley and 200m butterfly, along with B final appearances in the 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke.
Nicola Lovell continued to show her class as an age group and open swimmer, achieving silver in the girls 17-18 years 200m and 400m medley events, bronze in the 100m, 200m breaststroke and 100m medley, while reaching open A finals in all of these races.
“Going into the competition I hoped to get even one medal, so coming away with five exceeded my expectations,” she remarked.
Will Atkinson secured a gold in the boys 16 years 50m butterfly and silver in the 100m butterfly, reached age group finals in the 200m butterfly and 50m freestyle and open B finals.
Jack Bugler achieved finals in all of his races in the multi-class division, while also attaining a bronze in the 100m freestyle. Jack was also a key member of two relay teams that broke New Zealand records.
Ethan Spencer and Neive Mackenzie made their national debut, each getting multiple personal best times. Ethan placed sixth in the boys’ 14 years 1500m freestyle, while Neive came eighth in the girls’ 14 years 200m breaststroke.
Jessica Lovell swam her first national meet following a brief period out of the pool, grabbing a season’s best in the 50m butterfly.
Coach Shane Skehan was absolutely delighted to see such impressive results from the club and says it’s a nod to the “hours of effort” the swimmers put in.
“I’m really proud of every swimmer who made it to the competition. It’s exciting to see how the club is evolving,” Nicola added.
Following the competition is a quiet period for key competitions, which the swimmers will use to rest, regenerate, and then fine tune their skills before the 50m long course swimming season begins.
