The Swim England National Winter Championships took place at Ponds Forge
International Sports Centre in Sheffield from Thursday 14th to Sunday 17th December.
West Norfolk’s Millie Harris, Nathan Wells, Sarah O’Brien, Freddie Laws, Molly Lee and Finlay Ryan all made the journey north, whilst Tobias Oglebsy who had also qualified, was sadly unable to compete due to ill health.
Wells kicked off proceedings on the Thursday morning with a season’s best time of 2 minutes and 2.28 seconds in the 200M Individual Medley, a time which put him through to the evening’s Senior Final – an opportunity for swimmers who just missed out on a place in the main “Open” final to swim again and try to better their time.
O’Brien was next in the pool, swimming an excellent 200M Breaststroke in a new personal best time of 2:36.75, before Wells was back in the water for the 100M Backstroke – where a new personal best led to him going one better than the 200 IM by sealing a spot in the Open Final.
The morning’s heats were concluded with Millie Harris swimming a new personal best time of 28.96 seconds in the 50M Butterfly.
That evening, Wells bettered his heats swim by over a second to set a new PB, Norfolk County Record and place first amongst the swimmers in the Senior Final.
His last swim of a long day then came in the Open Final of the 100M Backstroke, where a swim of 55.56 seconds saw him finish within half a second of the new personal best he set that morning.
Wells’ gruelling programme offered little rest, being the first West Norfolk swimmer in action on Friday’s second day of competition – setting a season’s best time of 4 minutes 28.37 seconds in the 400M Individual Medley.
Finlay Ryan and Freddie Laws both contested the 50M Breaststroke, and both swam excellent races to score new personal best times.
There were three more swims for the Purple Army on the Saturday. Laws got the ball rolling with yet another personal best time in the 100M Breaststroke, before Molly Lee swam a season’s best 33.44 seconds in the 50M Breaststroke.
Wells swam his third personal best time of the competition with a time of 2 minutes 0.99 seconds in the 200M Backstroke, again receiving a Senior Final spot and a second swim for his efforts. He would go on to grasp the opportunity with both hands by shaving a further 0.15 seconds off his time, again setting a Norfolk Record and finishing first among the swimmers in the Senior Final.
Sarah O’Brien opened West Norfolk’s account with another personal best time on the fourth and final day – swimming a 1 minute 11.97 second 100M Breaststroke.
A solid swim from Laws in the 200M Breaststroke was enough to earn him another go in that evening’s Senior Final – the same prize Wells earns shortly afterwards following a personal best swim and County Record in the 50M Backstroke.
West Norfolk’s final heats swim saw Wells qualify for his second Open Final of the weekend with a season’s best time in the 100M IM.
That evening, Laws capitalised on his chance to swim again, by smashing his personal best time for the 200 Breaststroke with a swim of 2 minutes 13.41 seconds and placing second of those in the Senior Final.
Wells’ swim in the 50M Backstroke was almost as fruitful, swimming what would have been a personal best, if it wasn’t for the new marker post he had set himself that morning.
The 100 IM Open Final was Wells’, and West Norfolk’s, final swim of the championships. A solid swim of 57.32 seconds saw him finish just shy of the season’s best time he set in the heats.
