King’s Swimmers Make Strong Start in ESSA Super League

Twenty-seven swimmers from the U13, U15 and U18 Swimming teams competed in the first round of this year’s English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA) Swimming Super League at Dean Close School.

The ESSA Swimming Super League is a national competition for secondary schools across England, combining individual swimming events with team relay races. Following a successful trial last year, ESSA has decided to run the competition nationally, with schools competing in regional rounds to determine which schools and swimmers qualify for the national final.

With King’s boasting a particularly strong squad of swimmers, the school entered a particularly competitive team with the aim of qualifying for this year’s national final in February.

The first round saw King’s compete against schools from across the South Midlands, including Marling, Beechen Cliff, Stroud High School, Bristol Free School and Dean Close. The King’s swimmers performed exceptionally well throughout the afternoon, producing a series of impressive individual and relay performances.

In the 4 x 50m Medley Relays, King’s recorded an outstanding six podium finishes from six races. The U13 Girls, U15 Girls, U15 Boys and U18 Boys all won their respective races, while the U13 Boys and U18 Girls both finished in second place.

There were also some excellent results in the individual events. In the U13 Girls, Angela O’C finished second in the 50m Butterfly, while Pippa P won the 50m Backstroke, Thea E won the 50m Breaststroke and Ellie R won the 50m Freestyle. The U13 Boys also produced strong performances, with Alfie E and Noah B finishing third in the 50m Butterfly and Backstroke respectively, Noah L taking third in the 50m Freestyle, and James B claiming victory in the 50m Breaststroke.

The U15 Girls continued the impressive run of results, with Fliss T finishing second in the 50m Butterfly before going on to win the 50m Freestyle. Helena C won the 50m Backstroke and Amelia B was victorious in the 50m Breaststroke. In the U15 Boys, Sam M finished third in the 50m Butterfly, while Teddy C won the 50m Backstroke. Rowan T and Jonas H both secured second-place finishes in the 50m Breaststroke and 50m Freestyle respectively.

The U18 teams were equally successful. Mia G won both the 50m Butterfly and 100m Individual Medley, while the 2026-27 Girls’ Swimming Captain, Catherine H, won the 50m Backstroke and Hattie T won the 50m Breaststroke. Helena C also stepped up to the Senior age group, swimming up to compete in the 100m Freestyle, which she also won.

In the U18 Boys, Oli S finished second in the 50m Butterfly, while Joe O’L won the 50m Breaststroke and James C was victorious in the 100m Freestyle. King’s Boys’ Swimming Captain for the 2026–27 academic year, Dylan L, also enjoyed an excellent afternoon, winning the 50m Backstroke and finishing third in the 100m Individual Medley.

These results provide King’s with an excellent platform as the team looks ahead to the second round of the competition. The swimmers will have another opportunity to improve their times, with the results from all the regional galas taking place across England being compiled. The fastest individual swimmers and relay teams will ultimately qualify to represent their school at the ESSA Swimming Super League National Final in Coventry on Saturday 27^th February 2027.

A huge well done to all the pupils who competed; they all swam exceptionally well and represented King’s with great determination, enthusiasm and pride. We look forward to seeing how the team progresses in the second round.