10 November 10
At last weekends Masters National Swimming Championships held at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge pool Trafford Metro Swimming Club swimmers set a new world relay record and 8 new European relay records.
The world record was in the combined age 200+ Ladies 4x100 Individual Medley with a time of 5min 11.45 secs. Tracie Gorst led the team off in the backstroke leg with Jo Bolton swimming breastroke followed by Jill Jones butterfly and with Rachel Barton bringing the team home on the freestyle leg. Their performance smashed the previous mark by over 5 seconds.
Rachel and Jill were also involved with 6 of the European records set. Four of these were with team mates Neil McKinnon and Neville Barton in the mixed relay age 240+ for the 4x100 freestyle 4:26.39; 4x200 freestyle 10:24.94; 4x50 medley 2:16.49 and 4x100Medley 5:15.31. The foursome also added a gold to this tally in the 4x50 freestyle event. Rachel and Jill’s other European records were in the ladies 200+ 4x200 freestyle with Tracie Gorst and Sandra Skellern in a time of 10:27.47 and the 4x100 freestyle with Tracie Gorst and Tracy Sacks 4:40.10.
The men were not to be outdone adding 2 further European records in the 160+ 4x200 freestyle relay with Jonny Giles, Rob Arnold, Alec Johnson and Steve Harding setting a new mark of 8:44.17. Richard Symons Neville Barton Alec Johnson and Paul Longland then completed the 4x100 in just 3:51.80. Further relay performances resulted in 2 silver medals and 2 bronze medals.
In the individual events there were no records set but there were 14 gold medals 9 silver and 8 bronze making this years championships the most successful in the Club’s history. In the ladies events star of the show was Rachel Barton who in the 60-64 age group took 4 golds for 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 100 IM and 50 butterfly. Lucy Lloyd Roach was the butterfly queen in the 25-29 age group winning gold in the 50m 100m and 200m events to add to a bronze in the 200IM. Helen Sadler won gold in the 40-44 100m freestyle along with 3 other silvers and a bronze. Laura Bowden and Tracie Gorst also won bronze medals for 200 backstroke and 800 freestyle respectively.
In the mens events Nev Barton was dominant in the 55-59 years with gold in the 50m and 100m breastroke as well as a gold in the 100m freestyle to add to his silver in the 50m. Paul Longland also won 2 gold medals in the 30-34 for 50 freestyle and butterfly adding to his silver in the 50 backstroke. Richard Symons won the 800m freestyle in the next age bracket up. There were silver medals for veteran Neil Mackinnon in the 65-69 50m butterfly and 200m IM. In the 55-59 Dave Randall bagged a silver in the 1500m freestyle and bronze in the 800m freestyle and 200m backstroke. Alan Rowson also picked up a silver in the 60-64 100m butterfly to go with a bronze in the 50m freestyle. Alec Johnson also won bronze in the same event for the 45-49 years.
For a complete set of results see the British Swimming website www.britishswimming.org
