Swim England Artistic Swimming
Kate Shortman wins solo gold on opening night in Gloucester
December 2, 2016Kate Shortman of City of Bristol SC took gold in the 15-18yrs Solo event on the opening day of the ASA National Age Group Synchronised Swimming Championships 2016.
Shortman’s was the stand out performance of the evening, drawing applause from the crowd after the execution of her first technical element.
Her sharp and beautifully choreographed routine to ‘Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word’ scored her 77.8333.
The 16-year-old, who won ASA England Programmes Synchro Athlete of the Year, finished with an overall score of 152.9684.
Shortman commented: “It feels really good to know that my hard work has paid off. It’s always nice to come back to nationals, it’s very different to competing internationally.
“Isabelle [Thorpe, duet partner] and I support each other, and we both want the other one to do well. If it’s our day today, then we’re just happy for each other.”
Shortman’s duet partner and City of Bristol teammate Isabelle Thorpe took silver on 149.8968. She wore a pink bejewelled costume and pulled off a complex routine to Lara Fabien’s ‘Je Suis Malade’ for 75.8667 points.
Third place went to City of Leeds’ Rebecca Richardson. Her well-executed routine showed great choreography to ‘This is a Man’s World’ by Joss Stone. She scored 141.5106 overall with 71.0000 for her Free Routine.
15-18 Yrs Solo Results
| Rank | Name | Routine | Figures | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kate Shortman (City of Bristol) | 77.8333 | 75.1351 | 152.9684 |
| 2 | Isabelle Thorpe (City of Bristol) | 75.8667 | 74.0301 | 149.8968 |
| 3 | Rebecca Richardson (City of Leeds) | 71.0000 | 70.5106 | 141.5106 |
| 4 | Greta Hampson (City of Bristol) | 68.6667 | 68.4144 | 137.0811 |
| 5 | Danielle Cooper (Rushmoor) | 67.4667 | 68.5706 | 136.0373 |
| 6 | Victoria Usher (Rushmoor) | 65.9667 | 66.6395 | 132.6062 |
| 7 | Alice Bell (Rushmoor) | 64.1667 | 64.7596 | 128.9263 |
| 8 | Sophie Freeman (Stockport Metro) | 66.1667 | 62.4053 | 128.5720 |
| 9 | Gemma Broad (Rugby) | 64.3667 | 61.1982 | 125.5649 |
| 10 | Melissa Knapton (City of Salford) | 62.7667 | 60.3995 | 123.1662 |
| 11 | Chloe Thickett (Rushmoor) | 62.4333 | 60.4805 | 122.9138 |
| 12 | Zoe Taylor (City of Salford) | 60.8000 | 59.4144 | 120.2144 |
Bradley-Smith takes gold in 18-19yrs Solo
There were only two competitors in the 18-19yrs age group, but that did not take away from the level of skill shown in the pool.
City of Birmingham’s Phoebe Bradley-Smith took the top spot with 67.3333 for her rendition of ‘This is a Man’s World’. She showed great height out of the water in her technical elements and had some nice changes of pace throughout the routine, winning gold on 133.7087 points.
“It feels really good to get a gold medal,” said Bradley-Smith. “I’ve really enjoyed competing. It’s my last Age Groups because I’m going to be too old.”
Second place went to City of Leeds’ Alyssa Ward. She swam a dramatic routine to ‘Legendary’ by Welshy Arms, making good use of the pool space. She finished on 115.9213 for silver, scoring 60.9333 for her routine.
18-19 Yrs Solo Results
| Rank | Name | Routine | Figures | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoebe Bradley-Smith (City of Birmingham) | 67.3333 | 66.3754 | 133.7087 |
| 2 | Alyssa Ward (City of Leeds) | 60.9333 | 54.9880 | 115.9213 |