The City of Sheffield hosted its Premier Meet from March 7th to 9th at the renowned Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, where 12 swimmers from West Norfolk proudly represented the purple army.
The competition kicked off on Friday evening with the distance events, where Jamie Wilson (16) made a strong showing, securing fifth place in the 1500m freestyle with a time of 17:38.96.
Saturday began with Thomas Baxter (16) competing in the 100m backstroke, finishing in 26th place. In the 200m breaststroke, both Alex Pattison (15) and Josh Jones (16) delivered impressive performances, achieving Personal Bests (PBs). Alex finished 11th, while Josh claimed 4th place in their respective age categories.
Next up was the 100m breaststroke, where Polly Anderson (13 and under) earned a bronze medal with a PB time of 1:24.31, while Sarah O’Brien took 20th place in the 17 and over category. Millie Harris (17+) finished 9th in the 50m butterfly, and Valeria Soldatihhina (13 and under) secured a bronze medal. Olivia Bradford (14) shone brightly, winning the first gold of the weekend and setting a new PB with a time of 29.88 seconds.
In the 50m freestyle, Rejus Mazeika (14) and Finlay Ryan (17+) both competed, with Rejus finishing 4th and Finlay achieving 16th place while setting a new PB of 24.95 seconds.
Olivia Bradford (13) and Millie Harris (17+) also took on the 100m butterfly, with Olivia finishing 9th in her age group and Millie taking 10th, setting a new PB of 1:04.00. Jamie Wilson set a new PB in the 200m butterfly, finishing 8th in the 16 years age group.
Valeria Soldatihhina (13 and under) placed 14th in the 200m Individual Medley. In the 100m freestyle, both Rejus Mazeika (14) and Josh Jones (16) achieved new PBs, with Rejus finishing 14th and Josh coming in 18th. The final event on Saturday for the WNSC swimmers is the 50m breaststroke in the male/open category, where Rejus clinches gold in the 14-year age group. Alex Pattison (15) and Finlay Ryan (17+) both achieve personal bests, finishing 8th and 6th in their respective age categories. Meanwhile, Thomas Baxter and Josh Jones, both aged 16, secure 10th and 11th places, with Thomas also setting a new personal best.
Sunday kicks off with Valeria Soldatihhina and Polly Anderson (both 13 and under) making waves in the 100m backstroke, where they earn new personal bests, finishing 6th and 11th. In the 200m breaststroke, Sarah O’Brien (17+) wraps up her race in 13th place.
Rejus Mazeika (14), Alex Pattison (15), Joshua Jones (16), Thomas Baxter (16), and Finlay Ryan (17+) all dive into the 100m breaststroke. Rejus finishes 4th, while Alex sets a new personal best and comes in 14th. Josh and Thomas also achieve personal bests, finishing 6th and 14th, respectively, while Finlay takes 6th in his age group.
Polly Anderson (13 and under) competes in the 50m freestyle, finishing 14th. Olivia Bradford (14) and Millie Harris (17+) both set new personal bests, placing 4th and 5th, respectively. In the 100m butterfly, Alex Pattison (15) and Jamie Wilson (16) both finish 6th, achieving new personal bests.
Valeria Soldatihhina also sets a new personal best, finishing 4th in the 14 and under 200m butterfly. Continuing his streak, Alex Pattison (15) sets another personal best in the 200m individual medley, while Josh Jones (16) secures 9th place in his age group. Next up, Polly Anderson (13 and under), Olivia Bradford (14), Millie Harris (17+), and Erin Woodrow (17+) tackle the 100m freestyle, finishing in 22nd, 14th, 19th, and 32nd places, with Millie achieving a new personal best.
The weekend concludes for Polly Anderson (13 and under) and Sarah O’Brien (17+) with the 50m breaststroke. Sarah finishes 12th with a time of 35.06 seconds, while Polly proudly takes home a bronze medal in her age group. In his final race of the weekend, Thomas Baxter (16) sets a new personal best of 31.29 seconds in the 50m backstroke, finishing 9th overall in his age category.
