HARPENDEN Swimming Club sent four swimmers to the ASA East Region Youth Championships this weekend and finished ninth overall in the medal table.

Abby Smith was first to hit the water, placing 12th in the 100m butterfly and 11th in the 50m freestyle in a personal best time of 28.81. Josh Duggan then swam a solid 1:04.31 to finish 18th in the 100m backstroke competition before claiming gold in the 1500m freestyle.

Tania de Malglaive finished 30th in the 200m backstroke and Smith was 14th in the 50m butterfly. The evening session saw Smith finish as 4th fastest qualifier for the 200m freestyle, a position which she maintained in the final. Returning to the pool after the 1500m, Duggan took 11th in the 100m freestyle in 56.54.

On the second day de Malglaive swam a personal best of 1:13.66 in the 100m backstroke, placing 26th. Georgie Smith swam a 1.07.80 to book her place in the 100m backstroke final where she finished in 4th place.

Smith was again in action, swimming the 200m butterfly. Having booked a place in the final she went on to claim the bronze medal in a time of 2:28.96. Duggan was back in the water to swim the 200m backstroke, finishing 15th, before finishing Harpenden’s weekend with a place in the final of the 200m freestyle, improving upon his heats time to finish 5th in 2:01.56.

This is one of Harpenden’s best ever results at the Regional Youth Championships. Not only did the swimmers place ninth overall but they were also the third highest ranked Hertfordshire team.

If you are interested in joining Harpenden Swimming Club, contact administrator@harpendensc.org.uk or visit www.harpendensc.org.uk for more information.