LONDON DISABILITY SWIMMERS FINISH FIFTH AT NATIONAL JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

GLL Sport Foundation sponsored; London Disability Swimming Squad achieved its highest ever finish at the National Junior Championships last weekend when the team was placed fifth.  Eastern region won the team title with a much larger team, holding off Scotland , East Midlands and North West.

All of the 12 London swimmers finished the weekend with at least one medal.  The team won 23 golds between them and set 42 new personal best times.  Amy Marren of Havering Swimming Club was the most successful swimmer winning six events in S10 and taking three silvers.  She also smashed her personal best in 400m freestyle by 21 seconds.

Jerry-Ray Pearce of Hackney, swimming in the competition for the first time, won four golds in S5 while Matthew Whyman of Waltham Forest won nine medals with three of each colour.  Siblings Scott and Leanne Harvey of Enfield Swimming Club who joined the squad last year won three golds each.

Jessica Harper of Chelsea & Westminster and Leonie Buck (GBM) faced stiff competition in the S9 class with two British international swimmers winning eight of the individual events.  Jessica finished second in 50m butterfly and 400m freestyle, and third in 100m butterfly and the other two freestyle events.  She set new personal best times in all six of her races. Leonie took the 50m breaststroke gold taking over three seconds off her personal best in the process.

Oscar Livesey of Greenwich won two golds in 50m and 100m breaststroke in SB9 while Sheik Sheik of Newham won gold in the shorter distance in SB5. James Naidoo of Cheam Marcuda won two individual silvers in 50m breaststroke and 100m individual medley, while teammate Thomas Urry took silver in S7 50m backstroke.  Callum Prout of Sharks Swimming Club took silver in S8 50m backstroke. 

The team won four silvers in relay races - finishing second in the men and women's 400m medley races and both 400m freestyle relays.

Team manager Nick Ibrahim was delighted with the team's performance.  "It's a fabulous result to finish fifth given we had the smallest team of the top six regions.  Everyone is swimming better than they were in the short course championships in November, so they really deserved their medals and PBs. Now the challenge is to find some more swimmers and make a bid for the top three regions."