Record-Breaking Results at ESSA National Team Swimming Championships

On Saturday, 17 pupils from King’s travelled to the Sandwell Aquatics Centre to compete in the English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA) National Team Championships.

Held in the spectacular 2022 Commonwealth Games pool, this prestigious event brought together the fastest 24 school teams from across England for a highly competitive national final. Teams competed in three age categories: Junior (Years 7–8), Inter (Years 9–10) and Senior (Years 11–13).

This year marked a milestone for King’s, with no fewer than four teams qualifying: the Junior Girls, Junior Boys, Inter Mixed and Senior Boys.

After a valuable warm-up to familiarise themselves with the pool, the Junior Girls’ team, made up of Amelia B, Fliss T, Ellie R and Helena C, were first to race. They produced an excellent performance in the 4 x 50m Freestyle relay, finishing in a strong 17th place nationally with a time of 02:05.63.

The Junior Boys’ team of Harry C, Matthew P, Teddy C and Jonas H followed with an impressive 02:17.77 in the 4 x 50m Medley relay, securing 8th place after the heats and a spot in the national final. Rising to the occasion, they further improved their time to 02:17.30 in the final, finishing sixth overall in England.

Next up were the Senior Boys; Dylan L, Aled L, Harry C and Ben G, who rose to the challenge magnificently. In the 4 x 50m Medley relay, they set a new long-course senior school record of 01:50.75 and secured 9th place after the heats, qualifying for the final. They went on to finish in an impressive ninth place nationally.

The momentum continued into the second session. The Junior Girls returned for the 4x50m Medley relay, finishing in a well-earned 24th place overall.

The Junior Boys – this time Teddy C, Jonas H, Harry C and Sam M – delivered another outstanding swim in the 4 x 50m Freestyle relay, recording 02:02.36 in the heats to place fifth. They held their nerve in the final to secure a fantastic sixth place nationally.

The Senior Boys also built on their earlier success, producing another long-course senior school record of 01:40.30 in the 4 x 50m Freestyle relay. They finished the heats in ninth place and matched this position in the final with another excellent performance.

Inter Mixed Team Finish on a High

It was a lengthy wait to swim for the Inter Mixed team, made up of Lara J, Mia G, Joe O’L and Isaac P, having been required to be there for the duration of the event due to being reserves for the 4 x 50m Freestyle final. However, their patience paid off, as they delivered an outstanding performance in the 4 x 50m Medley relay final, finishing eighth in England with a superb time of 02:11.01. A special mention must go to Lara though, who, despite feeling unwell, was determined that she was going to swim for the team and produced an impressive time in the freestyle leg of the relay to help secure a fantastic result for the team.

A Record-Breaking Year for King’s Swimming

These National Championships marked King’s strongest set of results ever at this event – an achievement that reflects the swimmers’ consistent hard work, commitment and determination, both at school during the King’s Swimming Academy sessions, as well as during their training sessions for their respective swimming clubs.

For Aled, Harry and Ben, this was their final appearance at the Championships, and it was fitting that they bowed out on such a high – qualifying for both relay finals, finishing inside the top ten nationally, and setting two new senior long-course school records.

A huge well done to Amelia, Fliss, Ellie, Helena, Teddy, Jonas, Harry, Matthew, Sam, Lara, Mia, Joe, Isaac, Dylan, Aled, Harry and Ben, as well as a personal thank you to all of the parents and relatives who came along to cheer on all of the teams – your encouragement and enthusiasm were, as ever, very much appreciated!