LARNE SWIMMING CLUB IN RECORD BREAKING FORM by Peter Watson

Larne Swimming Club competitors set the pool on fire at the recent Ulster Age Group Championships. Over the course of the two weekends they set ten new Age Group Championship records and won twenty gold, fourteen silver and twelve bronze medals and capped off a stunning performance with an amazing new Ulster Junior Record in the boys 4 x 50m freestyle relay.

This year it was the boys who set the pace and set all the records. The star of the show was 15 year old Wilson Logan who set five new individual records and won six gold and two silver medals. Wilson's records came in the 200m, 400m & 1500m freestyle, the 200m butterfly and the 400m Individual medley. His 1500m freestyle time of 16.52.84 not only put him under 17 minutes for the first time but broke his own record of 17.19.96 set last year. His other gold medal was in the 200m Individual Medley.

In the same Age Group, Conor Leaney was also in sparkling form with two new records, four golds and three silver medals. Conor's records came in the 100m freestyle and the 200m backstroke. He also won gold in the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly.

The other record breaker was Mark Wylie who made his mark in the 11-year age group with a new Championship record of 1.27.56 in the 100m breaststroke. Mark won four golds in the 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly and the 200m and 400m individual medley events. He also picked up two silver medals.

In the 15 years boys events, Shane Traill won a silver in the 100m breaststroke and a bronze in the 200m Individual medley and would have had more medals but for two unfortunate disqualifications.

Matthew Harkness won a silver in the 13 year 100m freestyle and Gary Andrews won bronze in the 11 year 100m freestyle. Gavin Williamson made five finals, coming fourth in the 100m & 200m breaststroke and 100m freestyle, fifth in the 100m backstroke and sixth in the 200m freestyle. Owen Williamson and Nick Browne also made finals, Owen coming fourth in the 12 year old 100m breaststroke and Nick fifth in the same event at 16-19 years.

Young Charlotte Hall was the top girl in the Larne squad winning two gold and three silver medals in the 11-year age group. Her golds came in the 100m and 400m freestyle races, with silver in the 200m & 400m individual medley and 100m backstroke events.

Laura Heaton won gold in the 14 years 400m freestyle but was pipped into second in the 800m freestyle and also won bronze in the 100m and 200m freestyle races. Caroline Gordon won gold in the 16-18 year 100m breaststroke and bronze in the 200m breaststroke. Sarah Moore bagged four medals in the 13-year age group; a silver in the 400m individual medley and bronzes in the 100m and 200m breaststroke and 100m butterfly. Ciara Campbell won a bronze in the 15 year 100m freestyle and was fourth in the 100m backstroke and sixth in the 200m backstroke.

Other finalists were Niamh Gilmore, fourth in the 16-18 year 100m breaststroke; Devon Rainey, fifth in the 13 year 100m backstroke; Eimear Black, sixth in the 14 year 100m backstroke and Helen Watson, eighth in the 16-18 100m butterfly.

In the relay events, the girls 16-18 year team of Kate and Caroline Gordon, Niamh Gilmore and Helen Watson won bronze in both the medley and freestyle races, while the girls 14-15 year team of Laura Heaton, Eimear Black, Shereena Donley and Ciara Campbell won bronze in their freestyle event. The 10/11 year boys team of Andrew Ferguson, Mark Wylie, Gary Andrews and Dale McBurney came fourth in both of their events as did the 12-13 year old boys team of Patrick Brines, Stephen Andrews, Owen Williamson and Matthew Harkness in the Freestyle event.

The boys' 14-15 year team of Conor Leaney, Gavin Williamson, Shane Traill and Wilson Logan were the undoubted stars of the show. These four boys teamed up to produce the outstanding performances of the meet in their two relay events. First, they set a new 4 x 50m medley relay record of 1.58.34, taking over three seconds off the old record and pushing it under the two minute mark for the first time. Then, chasing an Ulster Junior (under 18) record in the 4 x 50m freestyle relay, as they waited for their final, they had to watch City of Belfast break the record in the immediately preceding boys 16-18 year event with a time of 1.44.15. This only stiffened their resolve, and, after a final pep talk from Coach Raymond Skillen and urged on by a noisy crowd of Larne supporters, they smashed the five minute old Ulster Junior Record with a time of 1.42.80, also slashing nearly five seconds off the Championship Record in the process. This performance is all the more remarkable as all four boys are only 15, and have three more years as Juniors.

It was a fitting way to round off a fantastic performance by all the Club competitors that confirms Larne's place as one of the top swimming Clubs in Ulster.