SKIPTON swimmers put on a thrilling performance at the 2022 Speedo Summer British Swimming Championships at the Ponds Forge International Pool in Sheffield at the weekend.

In front of a passionate crowd, six of Skipton’s qualifiers achieved top ten positions in their events, but it was Rohan Smith (17) of Ermysted’s Grammar School who gave the standout performance of the Championships, securing a dramatic joint gold medal in the Men’s 18yrs 50m Breaststroke.

Smith swam a lifetime best of 29.09 secs in the sensational final which saw the entire field separated by less than a second and all but one of the swimmers going under the 30 second barrier. Smith executed his race perfectly and held a slim lead over race favourite and British International Cameron Williams until the final stroke which saw both swimmers ‘dead heat’ for the Gold.

In his other events he claimed a bronze medal in the 100m Breaststroke with another lifetime best of 1.04.71.

His third lifetime best of the competition followed in the 50m freestyle where he finished eighth with a time of 23.92 secs. He went on to finish 12th in the 200m Breaststroke, narrowly missing the final with a time of two mins 30.10.

Another podium finish followed for Skipton’s Abbie Hampshire when she collected the bronze medal in the Women’s MC 100m backstroke.

Ned Sharp (18), qualified for three events overall; the 50m 100m and 200m butterfly. Although Ned is aged 18 he raced as a 19 year old in the men’s open category. He was disappointed to miss out on a podium place in the 100m fly, placing fourth in a closely contested race but achieved a new PB of 54.73 secs. Narrowly missing out on the finals, sharp was placed tenth in the 200m fly and shaved a fantastic 2.5 seconds off his personal best time. Ned then went on to qualify for one event in the English Nationals - the 200m freestyle, reaching the finals and placing seventh overall, with another new PB of one minute 56.49 secs.

Jack Jenkinson (15) qualified for an impressive nine events at the British Championships. He chose to swim in six events and reached an incredible five finals. He narrowly missed out on a medal, placing fourth in the 100m freestyle, fifth in 200m butterfly, sixth in the 200m & 400m freestyle and ninth in the 50m freestyle. He has subsequently been selected to represent Yorkshire at the 2022 National County Team Championships which will take place at Ponds Forge in October.

Paige Fenton (18) put in a stellar performance, qualifying for three events – the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke - in what will be her last British Championships for Skipton Swimming Club before she goes to university. She made the finals in all three of her events, placing eighth, ninth and seventh respectively and with new personal best times in the 100m and 200m. Fenton then went on to narrowly miss out on a medal in the 200 IM at the English Nationals, placing her fourth in the country.

Her superb times mean that she has qualified to join Loughborough University’s Bronze squad, which she is keen to be part of next season. 

Sam Smith (15) qualified for five individual events at the British Championships and reached two finals in the 100m free and 100m fly and was placed 9th and 10th respectively. He then went on to swim the 200m freestyle in the English Nationals and was placed 12th in the country.

Sean Smith (15) qualified for the 50m breaststroke at the British Championships and finished in 17th place with an impressive time of 32.24 seconds. Sean also qualified for 3 events at the English Nationals; He made the final and finished 8th in the 50m Butterfly with a lifetime best time of 27.04 secs. He was placed 12th in the 50 meters Backstroke with a lifetime best of 29.64 secs and in the 100m Breaststroke he finished in 11th place.

Skipton’s age 14/16 boys teams qualified for two events at the Summer British Championships.  Jack Jenkinson, Sean Smith, Sam Smith, Zak Sheriff and Joe Burgess battled the big British swimming clubs to come 12th in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay, a significant achievement for Skipton - a relatively tiny club. 

At just 13 years old, Poppy Dunne, who is the youngest of Skipton’s national qualifiers, competed in the 14yrs 50m freestyle at the English Nationals. She swam a fantastic race, finishing in 10th place.

Ian Scrivin (Head Coach) said “Our national qualifiers put in a truly fantastic performance this summer. They have all worked so hard to prepare for their events and it more than paid off, with some incredible PBs and podium finishes. I am extremely proud of the way they have showcased the incredible talent we have at our club here in Skipton. I look forward to supporting them all in preparing for their next set of competitive events as we move into the Autumn. If this Summer is anything to go by, we certainly have an exciting season ahead of us.”

For further information about Skipton Swimming Club please visit www.skiptonsc.co.uk

REPORT BY: Angela Appleby