O'Connor and Sanders shine as they win national titles on day four

Hayden Sanders and Lexie O’Connor were amongst the double medallists on day four of the GoCardless Swim England National Summer Meet 2024.

Both swimmers took home two medals, including a national title apiece at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.

Sanders took a gold and a silver whilst O’Connor added gold and another bronze to make it five medals for her at this year’s Championships.

The gold medal moment for Sanders came in the Open/Male 13 Years 200m Individual Medley final.

He came into the night already having enjoyed some medal success already in this competition, and looked confident in the centre of the pool in South Yorkshire.

The Bromley swimmer was almost two seconds quicker than the rest of the field as he lowered his heats time and personal best by 1.54 to add another gold medal to his tally.

He finished in 2:17.50, with his nearest rival and silver medallist being Mount Kelly’s Joseph Bale (2:19.44). Archie McGuire of Northumberland and Durham was also among the medals – taking bronze in 2:21.12.

Earlier on in the night he also took silver in the 13 Years 100m Freestyle final where Newcastle Harry Willis got his hands on gold.

Having already lowered his personal best in the heats earlier in the day, Willis went on to take more than half a second off that time to set a new best time of 57.05.

Taking silver was Hayden Sanders of Bromley – who produced a stunning swim in his 1500m event on the opening day to set a new PB by more than 40 seconds.

His 100m Freestyle time was 57.20 and he was followed by Worthing’s Myles Paul who clocked in at 57.47 for bronze.

Lexie O’Connor also came away with two medals on day four where she finally took to the top step of the podium after three bronzes at this year’s Championships.

She had to fight hard for the honour after Lydia Swindell and Ellen Eccleston both put forward late challenges for the crown in the Female 17 Years 200m Individual Medley final.

Basildon Pheonix’s O’Connor led heading into the final 50m but Swindell turned well to take the lead as the trio motored towards the finish.

But O’Connor wasn’t done, fighting back to regain the lead, timing her finish to perfection to win gold by just over a tenth of a second.

Swindell swam well for third and was unlucky to not get more in a finish where she was just 0.27 off the winner.

Eccelston from the City of Norwich came from a second behind to push O’Connor all the way but just couldn’t reach her – finishing in 2:25.26 for silver.

Earlier on in the session she also added what was her third bronze of the week in the Female 17 Years 400m Freestyle.

She finished in a time of 4:33.97 as Sophie Martin won gold from lane one in a thrilling contest.

The Chesterfield athlete showed her stamina once again to take the title, adding to her 1500m freestyle crown.

Martin was in a battle with lane sevens Grace Turner as they approached the wall but Martin managed to hold on with a winning time of 4:31.30.

It was a massive personal best for her with Grantham’s Turner also putting in an impressive showing to take silver.

Watterson completes full set

Joel Watterson completed a full set of medals as he claimed his first gold of the competition following victory in the Open/Male 18 Years and over 100m Freestyle.

The Isle of Man swimmer claimed silver in the 100m Butterfly and bronze in the 50m Freestyle earlier in the week – before topping the pile on day four.

He was the only swimmer to go under 51 seconds in his final – clocking a time of 50.83.

Following closely behind was Loughborough University’s Daniel Gencas in silver with 51.06 and Oliver Watts (51.38) of Team Bath finished in third.

In the 17 Years final, Guildford’s Christian Gayle led at the halfway mark, but Worcester’s Ben Gooch found an extra gear as he powered home down the final 50m.

Gooch looked comfortable as he timed his race perfectly to cruise to victory and claim the national title in 52.61.

Denys Mialkovskyi of RTW Monson also fought back to take the silver medal position in 53.02, with Gayle (53.15) completing the podium and taking home bronze.

There was a seasons best for Mount Kelly’s Alessandro D’Onofrio in the 16 Years age group final as he charged to the wall in 53.05.

His performance saw him seal the gold medal and complete a Freestyle double as he added the 100m title to the 50m won on day two.

Elmbridge swimmer Aquiles Bello was next to touch home in 53.53 ahead of the eventual bronze medallist, City of Peterborough’s Jack Swindale (53.92).

There were two commemorative medals awarded in the 14/15 Years age group as two Hamilton Aquatics athletes – Zain Salah and Cameron Haddow – took gold and silver respectively.

The national champion was Millfield’s Oliver Murray who finished 0.29 ahead of Ramsbottom’s Owen Wilson in silver. The bronze medal went to Poole swimmer Leo Wisbey.

Ellie Hull and Rose O’Brien duel for national title

Elsewhere in the 400m Freestyle, Ellie Hull and Rose O’Brien battled it out throughout the race for gold in the 12/13 Years crown.

The pair put clear water between them and the rest of the field with O’Brien sitting on the shoulder of City of Birmingham’s Hull for the majority of the contest.  They were inseparable throughout with the duo split by just 0.02 between them as they entered the final 100m’s.

But it was O’Brien who came to the front in the final 50m’s to claim the gold in a new lifetime best of 4:31.34.

It made it her third medal of the week after winning bronze in the 100m breaststroke and gold in the 1500m freestyle already at the competition.

12-year-old Hull impressed for silver, smashing her lifetime best from the heats to finish just 0.27 behind in 4:31.61.

There was a close battle for bronze until Rin Mayo managed to pull away in the closing stages to earn a medal for her and Barnet Copthall.

Less than a second split the top three as Amelie Stevenson won gold in the 14/15 Years 400m Freestyle.

Just 0.03 split Stevenson and Heyden as they entered the final 100m’s until Francesca Harrison came through to lead as they entered the final turn.

Stevenson had dropped to third but the City of Southampton swimmer battled back to touch the wall first in 4:32.66 – 0.24 ahead of Heyden in second.

Harrison swam well but had to settle for bronze after the City of Leicester’s swimmer time of 4:33.61.

Petra Varga added to her impressive display in the heats to take gold in the 16 Years race.

The Wirral Metro swimmer went under the 4:30.00 mark for the first time as she took victory by a second over Ella McDermott.

The two were neck and neck early on with McDermott in front at the three-quarter mark. But Varga timed her race well to surge through and pull ahead by a body length in the closing stages to take the title.

Varga’s time was a 4:29.62 to add to her 400m individual medley silver with Lucy Matthew’s from the City of Coventry adding to her own silver in the 800m freestyle with bronze.

Northumberland and Durham Performance’s Libby Freeman put in a dominant display in the 18 years and over race.

She set a 4:25.06 to win gold in what was a new personal best time and more than two seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

Alicia Massie was a comfortable second, putting distance between the rest of the field as the University of Surrey athlete won silver.

Rosie Richards of Rushmoor Royals rounded out the podium, just edging 800m freestyle champion Talia Staines to the wall by 0.52 seconds.

Gayle gets gold

After bronze in the 100m Freestyle, Guildford’s Christian Gayle was back in action in the Open/Male 17 Years 50m Backstroke final.

This time around, he took the lead and stayed there as he surged to victory in a time of 27.13 and was presented with another medal – but this one was gold.

It was an impressive display from the 17-year-old, who opened up a gap between himself and the remainder of the field across such a short distance.

Team Ipswich swimmer Ashton Redhead (27.71) was the worthy silver medallist, followed by Chalfont’s Ethan Richards-Knight (27.77) – with the three medal winners the only ones to go under 28 seconds.

In the 16 Years final, Thurrock’s Joshua Shepherd took the win ahead of Royal Wolverhampton’s Eamonn Djeridi.

Shepherd touched the wall in 27.23 for the national title and just 0.04 separated second and third with Djeridi (27.36) next on the podium and Crawley’s Ben Uff (27.40) opened his medal account for the session with a bronze.

Thomas Dean won gold – not for Team GB but on day four of the National Summer Meet as the Felixstowe swimmer, like his namesake, showed great speed in his final.

Dean’s time of 28.02 was enough to take gold in the 15 Years final, with City of Liverpool’s Finn Arnold finishing 0.10 behind to earn silver. The bronze medal went to Northumberland and Durham’s Daniel Payton.

The gold medal in the 18 Years and over final was won by Linslade’s Jack Hill as he battled it out with Tadcaster’s Samuel Lawman and Daniel Gencas of Loughborough University.

It was Hill who climbed to the top of the podium after a 26.74 swim. Lawman (26.89) and Gencas (27.22) won silver and bronze respectively.

Peiqi Wu shows her class to earn second sprint medal

Peiqi Wu set a new lifetime bet as she put almost a second on the chasing pack in the Female 15 Years 50m Backstroke final.

She knocked three tenths of a second off her top time after clocking in at 30.23 in front of the Ponds Forge crowd.

That gave the Stockport Metro athlete her second sprint medal of the competition after her silver in the 50m freestyle on Wednesday with a time that was quickest of any age group in the event.

Oliva Edgar of Chorley Marlins was next to touch the wall, 0.99 behind Wu in a strong swim for silver. Tiverton’s Lotte Declerck battled her all the way but fell just 0.07 short as she took the final spot on the podium.

There was a close battle between Jessica Huggins, Erin Currie and Chloe Linney for the top step of the podium in the 16 Years race.

Huggins and Linney got off the all quickest but Currie started to come through in the closing stages as she made her challenge for gold. She caught Linney but Huggins kept on strongly to go under 31 seconds with a time of 30.77.

Currie of Hatfield wasn’t far behind with a 31.08 whilst Linney was just 0.03 further back as she settled for bronze.

Norwich Swans’ Charlotte Smith took to the top step of the podium in the 17 Years final, finishing almost half a second ahead of her nearest challenger.

Smith and Birmingham’s Bethan Cooke were the only two to go under the 31-second mark as they pulled slightly ahead to take the top two spots.

It was Smith who was always on top however, clocking in at 30.42 to come away with the crown ahead of Cooke’s 30.89. Camille Vannier of Hatfield completed the podium in a time of 31.43.

Faith Martin from Hounslow Jets powered through from lane nine to quick enough for bronze but was unfortunately disqualified.

There was a complete set of brand new medallists for the week in the 18 Years and over final.

In a competitive field, Amber Ranson from City of Manchester Aquatics took the gold where all ten swimmers were split by just 1.11 seconds

She set a time of 30.43 which was just 0.08 faster than second place Megan Hansford.

Hansford ensured that Tigers Jersey picked up another medal at this year’s Championships a she shaved 0.09 seconds off her lifetime best from the 2023 Portsmouth Northsea Swimming Club’s Easter Meet.

Deben Swimming Club’s Connie Davies was third, completing the length of the pool in a strong time of 30.63.

Jones turns on afterburners

Poole’s Oliver Jones turned on the afterburners down the final length of the Open/Male 18 Years and over 200m Individual Medley final.

The 19-year-old looked strong throughout and after touching the wall in 2:06.14 and checking the screen to see he was the gold medal winner – he gave a casual thumbs up to his coaches and teammates in the crowd.

Next to finish was Loughborough University’s Charles Kershaw in a time of 2:07.56 and just 0.12 behind him was City of Manchester swimmer Donatas Dragasius (2:07.68) for bronze.

In a similar fashion, Maxwell’s Jake Chesworth produced a super final 50m in the 17 Years final to snatch the victory from Soundwell swimmer Rhys Dodd.

Dodd swam a great race and was ahead at the final turn, but Chesworth had the edge to secure the gold medal in 2:10.67.

It was still a superb silver for Soundwell and a brilliant bronze for Adam Bradley of City of Liverpool.
In the 14/15 Years final, Thomas Swales knocked more than four seconds off his personal best on his way to gold.

The Nova Centurion swimmer dropped from a 2:18.45 heats swim to 2:14.19 – earning his place on top of the podium.

Joining him was Corby’s Ethan Soppett-Moss who took silver in 2:14.55 and Andrew Hunter of Cleethorpes (2:15.44) was awarded the bronze medal.

The top three all set new lifetime bests in the 16 Years final, but it was Thanet Swim’s Harry Cocks who took the spoils after a brilliant performance from out in lane zero.

Cocks was crowned national champion after a time of 2:11.79. The silver medal-winning time was 2:12.14 and it was posted by Crawley’s Ben Uff, with Newcastle claiming another medal courtesy of Nicholas Land in third.

Shipley wins her second national title in as many days

As well as O’Connor’s gold the Female 200m Individual Medley events showcased a thrilling finale to this evening’s action in Sheffield.

In the 12/13 Years race, all ten swimmers set a new lifetime best in qualifying and it duly delivered as the lead changed throughout.

800m freestyle gold medallist Lydia Shipley charged through though in the closing stages to take the gold medal in a time of 2:28.07.

That marked her new personal best time, taking a further two seconds off the time that she in the morning heats.

Second place went to RTW Monson’s Julia Elvidge who split an incredible 32.50 in the freestyle to move her into the medal places.

She moved from fourth to second in the last length to come within 0.18 of Shipley’s winning time.

Ellie Hull also got on the podium for the second time this evening in third. She added to her 400m freestyle silver with bronze, clocking in at 2:28.96.

Charlotte Hind went out strong and held onto the lead in the 14/15 years final.

The RTW Monson swimmer put clear water between her and the rest of the pack in the opening stages before the group closed in on the breaststroke – with Lottie Declerck going in front.

Hind kept her cool though, toughing it out on the freestyle to re-take the lead and hold of Evan Higginbotham from Swindon Dolphins.

The winning time was 2:27.19 with Higginbotham clocking in at 2:27.73. Ella Smith of Northumberland and Durham was third as Declerck narrowly missed out on the podium.

Gabrielle Freeman charged back for 16 Years 200m Individual Medley gold ahead of Rebecca Coogan and Kerry Hennie.

In a race of many leaders, Freeman was the swimmer who was always around the front, showing the consistency of all four of her strokes.

She battled with Isobel Liptrot in the early stages before the Northumberland and Durham swimmer had to thwart the challenge of Amelie Spicer – who led after the breaststroke leg.

Freeman came roaring back however, setting a 2:24.45 to take the title by 0.90 seconds.

Rebecca Coogan of Romford Town came back in the final 50m’s to secure second with City of Liverpool’s Kerrie Hennie also finishing well for bronze.

In the final race of the evening, the 18 years and over swimmers provided a thrilling finish where six swimmers were separated by just 0.63 seconds.

It was a close contest throughout, where Louise Jones narrowly led from lane eight for the majority of the first three lengths

She unfortunately couldn’t hold onto a medal place but in the lane to her left, Maddison Johnson of Rotherham Metro finished strongly to take the gold medal.

Her swim from lane seven saw her finish 0.08 ahead of Eleanor Broughton in a nail-biting finale.

Johnson set a new best of 2:23.49 to take the title with Broughton (Repton) just 0.08 further back in silver medal position.

Cira Fletcher from Nova Centurions hit the wall third, one hundredth of a second faster than Alicia Massie with a time of 2:23.88.

You can find all of the results from the GoCardless Swim England National Summer Meet 2024 here.

Images: Will Johnston Photography