Reading
Swimming Club ChampionshipsReading
Swimming Club ChampionshipsFifteen-year-old Garry Dixon smashed a record set by one of Reading's best distance swimmers of recent years as he won his year in the 1500m freestyle at the latest round of the club's championships at Central Pool.
Dixon - third fastest 15-year-old at August's national youth championships - beat Craig Woodward's year 2000 mark by almost 11 seconds in recording 16.29.44. He also beat the championship record for the top age group, 16 and over, set by Ian Shearer 10 years earlier at 16.32.15.
As expected, Dixon slugged out a great race with the slightly older Russel Korting - himself third-best 16-year-old at nationals – establishing a firm lead only in the last quarter of the race.
Korting's 16.42.07 won the top age category and ahead of Adrian Dyer, while Craig Frankum and Oliver Burgoyne took the minor medals among the 15-year-olds. Burgoyne's 21.10.85 was well over two minutes inside his previous best over the distance.
Alex Macarthur was a clear winner among the 14 year olds in 17.41.38, but Markus Orgill produced one of the evening's biggest personal bests as he slashed his entry time by almost five minutes in second spot on 19.47.03, with Sam Flory taking the bronze.
Adam Barrett was an equally strong favourite in the next age group down and duly took it in a solid 18.25.02. Conor Sandell in second place swam an exciting race-within-a-race with 12-year-old James Tichband. The pair went stroke for stroke throughout the 60 lengths and still found enough for a sprint finish only 0.38 seconds apart, the younger swimmer just getting the touch in winning his year's bronze.
Callum Willcox, pulling away from the pair in the second half of the same heat, took the 12 years silver, while Chris Boyce recorded a big PB to win that year in 19.24.53 despite problems with his goggles. George Feast (13s bronze) and Jason Passmore (12s fourth place) both clocked big personal bests.
All three entrants in the 11s group also cut their entry times, by five, four and three minutes respectively. James Bradley took the gold (24.34.72) from David Mills and Matthew Alderman.
Barnaby Kempster, the only entrant in the 10 and under category, swam a the four-minute PB of 25.46 .33 which would have won the bronze one year up and augurs very well for the future.
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