Swimming – World School Games News

Talbot Heath Swimming Academy headed to the World School Games, hosted at the iconic Queen Elizabeth London Aquatic Centre recently. Talbot Heath entered two teams: a junior team, and an intermediate team. Swimmers took part in multiple swimming races and gained points for their team across two days. The TH team competed against schools far and wide from Kenya, Nigeria, Asia, and the Middle East. Congratulations to all of the TH competitors!

 

Junior Team 

 

The junior team comprised Lara, Alex, Thalia, Caidee, and Rebecca, and most of the team were a year younger than the cut-off age, meaning they could compete in the same category next year.

 

Led by Team Manager Mrs. Salmond, the girls absolutely put every ounce of might into all of their races, with at least one swimmer from each of the 12 swimming events making a Final. Indeed, the team returned with an impressive 3 Silver Medals and 7 Bronze Medals; the team achieved silver medals in both the Relay events, with individual medals being earned in the 50m Free, 50m Back, 100m Free, 100m Back, 100m Breast, 100m Butterfly, and 200m Butterfly. 

  

The team performed so well, they impressively finished runners-up in the female category.  Kenton School from Nairobi took 1st place with 124 points, with Talbot Heath in 2nd with 114.5 points, and GEMS Wellington School taking the 3rd spot with 74 points. 

 

With it being a high-level competition, the team experienced the highs of some races and had to deal with mini-dramas, however in Talbot Heath fashion, the team pulled together showing great camaraderie and spirit in supporting each other.

 

During the return journey, the team announced their highlights which included swimming in an Olympic pool, meeting coaches and swimmers from around the world, reaching the finals, the beautiful shiny medals, and maybe just a little enjoyment of shopping at Westfield during the breaks!

 

Intermediate Team 

 

The intermediate team of Lottie, Scarlett, Bertie, and Bea were also faced with many being at the lower end of the age bracket, and with only four out of six swimmers, they had to cover an impressive 32 events. 

 

Led by Team Managers Mr. Bryson and Mr. Richman, the team like their younger counterparts, thrived in the competition and performed with tenacity, clocking many personal bests, with the highlight of moving from 16th rank to 4th in the Medley Relay.  The team made many finals and overall finished in an impressive 5th position. 

 

Both teams cannot wait to return to next year's competition to be even more competitive at the top of their age brackets. 

 

Head of Swimming, Barry Alldrick described the results as incredible at World Level.  He said: 'When swimming is often an individual sport, the need to tactfully select teams, with the need for swimmers to work together makes it a fun, fulfilling and exciting experience for the pupils.  A big thank you to our team managers and the school's admin/finance staff that helped the pupils logistically arrange our entry into the competition.'