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City of Bristol win hat-trick of golds in Nottingham

On the second day of the ASA National Synchronised Swimming Championships 2016, impressive performances from Kate Shortman, Isabelle Thorpe and their teammates helped City of Bristol win three golds in Nottingham.

Rushmoor Synchro SC also added to their medal haul, taking their second team gold of the championships in the Free routine.

Shortman lands maiden senior national Solo title

Representing her local club, City of Bristol, Kate Shortman – who won the Junior Figures event yesterday – made a huge impact in her first outing at the senior Championships.

The 14-year-old showed excellent height and movement across the pool as she performed her dramatic Free Solo routine to the delight of the crowd.

Shortman showed excellent height in her vertical spins and moved across the pool with power and grace to score a total of 74.3667.

  • Click here to watch Shortman’s Solo Free routine from Nottingham.

After winning silver in the Duet Tech open category yesterday, Emma Critchley stepped on to for a second time as she took silver in the Free Solo.

Representing Reading Royals, Critchley showed great expression in both arms and legs and scored 72.7000.

City of Leeds’ Rebecca Richardson completed the top three after scoring 68.3000 for her lyrical and elegant routine to James Brown’s ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World’.

In the Open category, Solo Tech gold medallist Olivia Federici proved she is one of the country’s top swimmers as she took gold with 79.3333.

Her polished routine to James Bond theme tune ‘Another Way to Die’ was pack full of drama and intensity, demonstrating her strength and impressive synchro skills.

  • Click here to watch Federici’s Solo Free routine from Nottingham.

Hannah Randall – who won the national title in 2015 – scored 74.5667 after an intricate and elegant routine to Christina Aquilera’s ‘I Am’ to take silver, while Phoebe Bradley-Smith scored 70.5000 to win bronze following her innovative and fluid choreography to The Weeknd’s ‘Earned It’.

City of Bristol on top in Technical Team

City of Bristol turned the tables after their Team Combo silver yesterday, taking gold ahead of Rushmoor in the Technical Team routine.

Competing with a new routine for 2016 to Michael Jackson’s ‘They Don’t Really Care About Us’, the Bristol team showcased some fast footwork and strong synchronicity to score 64.6755 and take gold.

  • Click here to watch City of Bristol’s Tech Team performance from Nottingham.

After winning gold in the Free Combo yesterday, Rushmoor Synchro SC stepped on to the podium for a second time, winning silver with 61.0631 for their routine.

Swimming to the soundtrack of ‘Footloose’, the Rushmoor team – Alice Bell, Amelia Grinham, Celina Dembrinska, Chloe Thickett, Claire Harris, Hannah James, Lara Hockin, Megan Randall, Rosie Gunn and Victoria Usher – performed an energetic and fun routine which highlighted their strong synchronisation and ability to perform clean lifts.

City of Leeds took bronze following a high intensity routine, which included an intricate cadence section they used to create new shapes and formations. The team, consisting of Abigail Devanny, Alyssa Ward, Chloe McLelland, Georgina Fielding, Grace Steadman, Isobel Davies, Katie Pearce, Olivia Burton, Rebecca Richardson and Rosemary Barrington, scored 59.7168 to secure the final place on the rostrum.

GB Synchro inspired the audience during their Team Technical routine, opening with a huge lift with two full rotations in the air from Kate Shortman.

The classical routine – a variation of the routine performed by Team GB at London 2012 – was full of difficult figures and intricate leg movements.

The routine, which scored 75.8847, also saw the team – Danielle Cooper, Emma Critchley, Hannah Randall, Isabelle Thorpe, Jodie Cowie, Jorja Brown, Kate Shortman, Katie Clark, Olivia Federici, Phoebe Bradley-Smith, Zoe James – travel across the full length and width of the pool with ease in precise formations.

Shortman and Thorpe start a party in Nottingham

City of Bristol Duet pair Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe performed their new South American inspired routine for the first time in competition in the Duet Free competition.

Their fast, fun and energetic routine delighted the crowd and brought a party atmosphere to the Harvey Hadden Sports Complex.

The pair had brilliant synchronisation and maintained their high energy throughout the routine, scoring 75.1333 and taking gold.

  • Click here to watch Shortman and Thorpe’s Free Duet routine from Nottingham.

Rushmoor Synchro SC were the only other team to stand on the podium as they took silver and bronze following strong performances from Lara Hockin and Celina Dembinska-Kenner, and Victoria Usher and Rosie Gunn respectively.

Representing Great Britain once again, Katie Clark and Olivia Federici delighted the crowd with their snakes-themed Free Duet routine, scoring 82.1000

The pair – who secured Team GB an Olympic quota place following their performance of this routine at the qualifying event – demonstrated excellent height and pace throughout their spine-tingling performance and executed complicated figures with ease.

  • Click here to watch Federici and Clark’s Free Duet routine from Nottingham.

Rushmoor win final title of the day

Rushmoor Synchro SC were back on top of the podium as they took the final national title of the championships in the Free Team competition.

The team – Alice Bell, Celina Dembinska-Kenner, Milly Grinham, Rosie Gunn, Claire Harris, Lara Hockin, Hannah James, Megan Randall, Chloe Thickett and Victoria Usher – scored 70.7667 for their routine to the soundtrack from ‘Hugo’.

This routine was also performed to gold medal winning success at last year’s National Age Group Championships and they came second at this event last year.

  • Click here to watch Rushmoor’s Team Free performance from Nottingham.

City of Bristol SC – who won the Redwood Trophy for the highest cumulative Tech and Free Team scores – maintained their reputation for performing impressive lifts as they won silver. Their routine was full of tricky content and the team showed excellent synchronisation throughout to score 67.5333.

City of Salford SC – Isabelle Spencer, Zoe Taylor, Greta Hampson, Jessica Spencer, Charlotte Moore, Elise Hodges, Olivia Dearden, Sophie Broadbent, Katie Finch, Olivia Scowcroft – took bronze after scoring 65.1000 for their Swan Lake themed routine.

Earlier in the day, Jodie Cowie (England Programmes Training Squad and Rushmoor Synchro SC) received the trophy for Synchronised Swimmer of the Year. There was also a presentation made to City of Salford’s Olivia Scowcroft who received the Gemma Yates Trophy for endeavor.

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