Reading Swimming Club’s top 100-metre breaststroke swimmer, Leona Jones, reached a career landmark with her first ever national qualifying time (NQT) at the high-powered Bath Grand Prix, one of three meets at which the club saw action over the weekend.
Jones beat the qualifying mark for 2003 but days after the end of May deadline, but made no mistake for 2005 in one of the first available "licensed meets" at which the prized NQTs must be made.
The 16-year-old was outside her entry time in qualifying sixth-fastest for her age group final, but made no mistake with the second opportunity and recorded 1:16.82 – a PB by a second and some 0.75 inside the target time.
Head coach Graeme Thomas took a squad of five to Sheffield for last August’s nationals, and already has five 2005 qualifiers. Louisa Downs, who qualified in both the 100 and 200 butterfly at Stockport two weeks ago, added the 800 free - in a six-second personal best of 9:20 - and the 200 free.
Russel Korting just beat his target of 4:17.25 in the 400 freestyle, among a number of PBs, while Garry Dixon – fifth in the country over 1500 metres last time out – qualified over both 400 and 1500 metres, winning the 1500 age group gold.
Adam Barrett, 12, had a fine weekend - capped with a 100 fly gold in 1:08.53 and placing third over the same distance in the back and seventh in the free.
Other excellent swims included a 200 IM fourth place for 14-year-old York Kloeppel, and Alex Macarthur (13) and Craig Frankum (14) both placed fifth in year in the 100 free, in 1:02.20 and 1:02.12 respectively.
In the youngest age group, Chris Boyce, Callum Willcox and Frankie Wilkins swam the first of what seems certain to be many top-level meets. Wilkins made four PBs in four and Boyce’s busy weekend included PBs and finals in the 100 fly, breaststroke and back, where he finished third but missed the silver by a hundredth. Willcox followed up two PBs at Oxford on Saturday in the 200 fly and 50 free with two more bests in the 200 IM and 100 free at Bath.
---------------------
Closer to home, another Reading contingent took in the City of Oxford open meet at the Temple Cowley pool.
Highlights included a 50m breaststroke win for Rebecca Alderson in 37.00 and a full hand of PBs for Amy Thomas in her five swims. Men’s captain David Thomas and Lewis Ross both made big gains on their previous bests in the 100 free and were nearly inseparable on 1:00.68 and 1:00.67 respectively, with Ross well over two seconds quicker than on his last swim in the event.
Bruno Bamberger qualified for the 50m freestyle elimination "skins" event, but was then first man out in 26.22.
Among the butterfly swimmers, 13-year-old Kristina Paige did well over both 50 and 100 metres, with a big PB of 1:12.71 in the 100 – some six seconds faster than at October’s Reading club championships – and second spot in her year in the 50 in 32.17.
-------------------------------
Meanwhile, at the first of a series of winter meets run at another top long-course venue by the Welsh ASA, 15-year-old Holly Tanner qualified for Sheffield next August in the 800 and 400 free at Swansea’s National Pool. In probably the best swim of her career to date, a time of 5:11.01 won the junior (17-and-under) 400 individual medley gold and placed third overall, beaten only by two swimmers in their 20s.
------------------------------