Silver and bronze medal winner Dylan Holliday (age 13) receives the ‘top visiting club’ trophy from Cardiff’s coach]
Another superb team effort saw City of Oxford Swimming Club win an impressive haul of 70 medals and speeding tickets at the Cardiff Invitational Meet, held over the weekend of 18th and 19th February. Oxford gained more trophies for their cabinet, retaining the coveted ‘Dave Heller Cup’ for the relays and were award ‘top visiting club’ out of a field of nine clubs at Cardiff International Pool. The relay cup was presented to Oxford by 50m backstroke world record holder and Olympian, Liam Tancock.
Oxford’s younger swimmers, aged eight to 13, made the trip to Cardiff, with some gaining their first experience of a 50m long course pool. Oxford won 16 golds, 20 silvers and 19 bronze medals as well as 15 sought-after speeding tickets (awarded to swimmers who swam faster than the upper qualifying time for the meet).
The Bagley sisters, Ellen (age 11) and Jessica (age 9), both achieved PBs and medals over the weekend (see photo). Ellen said: “It was great fun going to Cardiff with the City of Oxford team. It was really good watching my sister swim the first leg of the 8-10 years freestyle relay as the Oxford teams won the relay cup! Lots of us swam PB times and I won a gold and two silver medals and even got a speeding ticket.” Jessica added: “I tried really hard in all my races and was very excited to win a silver medal in the 100m freestyle race, especially as it was only the second time I’ve raced in a 50m pool.”
Headliners and gold medallists included Zofia Conway and Tristan Dennis, who at eight years old, were amongst Oxford’s youngest swimmers bringing in a haul of 12 medals and speeding tickets between them in their first gala in a long course pool!
Zofia Conway earned a speeding ticket from the off for the first event of the meet, 50m breaststroke, and went on to win three more for 50m back, 100m free, 100m breast, a gold for 50m fly and a bronze for 50m freestyle! For the nine year-old girls, Eleni Ioannou gained two speeding tickets in 100m freestyle and 200m IM and a silver in 100m fly, while for the ten year-olds Mila Burovska was awarded a speeding ticket in 50m freestyle. In the 11 year-old category, Ellen Bagley stormed to a speeding ticket for 50m backstroke, gold in 200m IM and silvers in 100m freestyle and 100m fly, while Lily Brabbin gained a gold 100m fly and a silver in 400m freestyle and Honey Valdiserri a speeding ticket for 50m freestyle. On fine medal winning form for the 12 year-old girls, Ellen Tranter won a speeding ticket in 50m freestyle, a gold in 50m backstroke, a silver for 200m IM and two bronzes in 100m fly and 100m freestyle. In the 13 year-old category, Emma Jowett took a speeding ticket in 50m backstroke and two golds in 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle and Anna Hens won a speeding ticket in 100m freestyle and gold in 100m breaststroke.
The boys added to Oxford’s medal tally, as eight year-old Tristan Dennis amassed two speeding tickets for 100m backstroke and freestyle, three silvers for 50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 50m backstroke and a bronze for 50m breaststroke! Ten year-old Matthew Critchley took a speeding ticket for 100m backstroke, gold for 50m freestyle, and bronzes for 50m breaststroke and 100m freestyle and Thomas Johnson (age 11) won gold in 50m breaststroke. For the 12 year-olds Jack Rudd powered to gold in 100m backstroke, silver in 200m IM and bronzes in 100m and 400m freestyle, while Charles Pauling bagged two golds in 100m breaststroke and 100m fly and James Brooks won gold in 50m backstroke and bronzes in 100m backstroke and 50m fly. For the 13 year-olds, Diego Bravo took a speeding ticket in 100m fly; golds in 100m breaststroke and 50m backstroke and a silver in 200m IM and Stan Pritchard won gold in 100m backstroke and bronze in 50m fly.
The full results are available from the City of Cardiff Swimming Club website.
Photo 2 caption: medal winners Ellen and Jessica Bagley
Photo 3 caption: the Oxford boys team