West Norfolk swimmers taste success at open water event
West Norfolk Swimming Club members tasted success at the South East Region Open Water Championships at Whitlingham Country Park on Sunday.
The event also included the individual county open water championships and West Norfolk competitors.
joined around 500 of their peers from almost 50 clubs to race distances between 1km, for the open water novices, through to 5km for the more experienced swimmers.
A top three regional place in the relevant distance offered a tantalising opportunity to qualify for the National Open Water Age Group Championships at Rother Valley Country Park, near Sheffield, on Monday.
The 3km race saw Sam Rose (15 yrs) finish in first place in his age group, with a time of 41 mins 14 seconds.
This earned him a place in the National event for the third successive year.
Just for good measure, Rose took the county title in his age group and was the fastest Norfolk 3 km swimmer overall.
Lucie Peck (15) finished in fifth spot, taking the silver medal in the county age group with a time of 42mins 08 seconds and Meda Vitginyte (14 yrs) 27th regionally and eighth in the county.
Joshua Parker claimed a county bronze in the 11/12 year age group of the 1kn novices event.
Team mates Robert Addis, Ethan Evans and Jack Drage completed the first of two West Norfolk SC purple army hat-tricks of gold, silver and bronze in the boys 13/14 years county age group competition.
Addis was the quickest Norfolk 1 km swimmer in the competition while Jack Woodhouse took the fifth county spot in the same race.
Oliver Shaw, 15, was the silver medallist in the county race for 15/16 year old boys.
Over the same distance, Esmie Kidman won county bronze in the girls 11/12 years event, while Olivia Skittrell, 11, and Sophie Doig, 12, finished ninth and 11th respectively.
Alice Page, 14, and Elizabeth England, 13, finished sixth and seventh in the county in the girls 13/14 years 1km race.
Over the 2km distance, Harry Sharpe, 13, took bronze in the boys 12/14 years age group regional race, in a time of 28 mins 16 seconds.
In doing so, he secured a place in the Rother Valley National competition later in the month and also went home with a county gold medal and trophy.
Kayleigh Venables, 19, took the Norfolk county silver medal in the women’s 17/19yrs age group.
In the 5km race, Joseph Wells, 19, finished in a time 1 hour 5 minutes 25 seconds to achieve regional bronze and a national qualification.
Wells also took the county men's 17/19 year old title, and was the fastest Norfolk 5km swimmer overall.
In the women’s event, Jenn Read, Rachael Johnson and Ella Farnsworth, all 16, completed the second purple army gold, silver and bronze county hat -rick of the day.
Read finished in a time of 1.09.33 achieved a national qualification to complete a busy day, as a few hours earlier she was joined by here sister Rebecca to qualify as British Swimming Open Water officials at Judge Level 1.
Head coach Sarah Vanderloo said: "Its great to see our swimmers taking part and doing so well in Open Water competition.
"This is the biggest entry we have ever had to the East Region competition, and to see so many county medalists and national qualifiers among our team is very satisfying.
"I must take the opportunity to thank Lynn Triathlon Club for their support in allowing us to join forces and share training sessions over the summer."
