Head coach Graeme Thomas took a small but strong Reading squad to Swansea for a packed programme in the Welsh Dragon meet at the Wales National Pool. Reading featured strongly in distance events and sprints, with numerous medals and finalist placings and a couple of fresh qualifying times for the summer’s national youth championships.

Garry Dixon, 14, had a typically busy meet, starting by winning his age group’s 200 free by four seconds and setting a new PB by almost a second in qualifying fastest for the evening’s 100 free finals, where he and Bangor’s Jack Willis starred in a series of "skins" elimination races.

Willis pipped Dixon in the eight-lane initial final, and the fastest six swam again after a brief interval. Dixon won this stage, with teammate Alex Macarthur also making it into round three.

Willis had the edge this time, with Macarthur third again and eliminated along with Bridgend’s Craig Thomas, but Dixon had saved his best for the two-swimmer showdown and won with a blistering 58.51.

To complete his outstanding day, Dixon chalked up a routine 30-length 1500m freestyle win, confirming his seeding as fastest on paper.

Chris Boyce also had a fine series of 100m free "skins" swims, improving from sixth in the 11/12 final to an eventual third spot – matching his 200m back placing in the afternoon.

Reading’s other swimmer in the age group programme, Amy Kunicki, also had a productive first day. One place outside the medals in her 200m back but in a two-second PB, she improved her 200 fly entry time by three seconds and won the 12/13 category by over six seconds.

Older swimmers tackling 100-metre events in fly, back and breaststroke also had it tough, needing to get through a semi-final as well as a heat. Leona Jones, 16, took a breaststroke bronze in 1:17.86 behind international Kate Haywood of Loughborough – one of several elite performers at the meet from British Swimming’s HQ squad.

Louisa Downs placed third overall in the 100 fly heats and Emma Zadrozny fifth, with Downs going on to take the 15-and-under silver and Zadrozny finishing fourth senior.

Reading dominated the ladies’ 400 IM. Holly Tanner, Zadrozny, Downs and Leanne Haas took the first four places in the heats, and with Zadrozny dropping out of the final after making her target of a prized national qualifying time (NQT) in the heat, Tanner, Downs and Haas swept the medals in the evening.

Russel Korting was also in great 400 IM form, placing second in the final in just under five minutes after a 4:56.91 PB in his heat.

Day two brought more freestyle "skins" excitement, via Boyce, Macarthur and Kunicki. The boys swam the 50, where Macarthur made the last six and Boyce the last two, while Kunicki put in a great series in the 100 also culminating in second place.

Reading’s age-groupers also impressed in other strokes. Kunicki topped her year in both 100 back and fly and won a 200 IM silver, Boyce took a 100 breaststroke bronze and an IM silver. Dixon, showing no ill effects from his mammoth Saturday programme, won his 200 IM and placed second in his 100 back.

The older swimmers also helped make a good impression of the Reading coaching programme. Korting was fifth in the overall 100m back final and was one of only two juniors to make the 400 free final, where he finished seventh.

Three Reading girls made the 200 fly final. Downs missed the gold by a whisker in an excellent repeat NQT of 2:24.86 and was also second junior, with Zadrozny fastest senior and Haas third junior.

Jones followed Saturday’s 100 breaststroke bronze with another over 200 metres and Tanner - whose goal for the meet was to make an NQT in the 200 IM – did it in 2:30.28, placing second junior and third overall from the unfavoured lane 2. Zadrozny was second senior and Jones fourth.

----------------