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LEWIS AND JODIE AT THE '05 NATIONALS FINALS
Lewis takes two bronze medals as Jodie makes the 100m breast final.

Lewis Clifford Stephenson and Jodie Momodu swam like champions at the ASA National Age Group Championships at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge 10 lane 50m swimming theatre. The two young Killerwhales were both taking part in their first National finals but did not seem the least bit daunted by the event, arena nor the impassioned support.

Lewis had qualified for three events, the 100m and 200m Breaststroke and the 400m Individual Medley in the boys 11 years age group. He swam fantastically well in all five of his races making both of the breaststroke finals and claiming a brace of bronze medals. In the 400m IM, the last of Lewis’s races he managed an impressive 7+ second new best time finishing in 28^th position.

In Lewis’s first race, the 200m breaststroke heat he also set a new personal best time of 3.00.47 to qualify in second place for the final.  In the final Lewis turned after 50m in second place behind eventual winner Andrew Burns of York City, Lewis’s nearest challenge came from his old sparring partner from Barnet Copthall Kim Lam Liu who after 100m turned 0.4 secs in front of Lewis. The pair kept pace down the 3rd fifty with Lewis pulling back another 10^th sec to set up a thrilling final 50m. with each stroke Lewis clawed back an inch and coming up to the final 10m Lewis still had the momentum to cause an upset but he just ran out of pool space to be touch into 3^rd place by a mere 0.15 seconds finishing in a time of 3.00.84.

In his second event Lewis’s challenge for honours was to come from different swimmers. Once again he qualified for the final in second place this time to Daniel Johnston of Middlesborough in a new best time of 1.24.12. In the final Lewis was fast off the blocks along with winner Johnston and 200m winner Burns, the three of them were already pulling away from the others and it was between them where the medals would go. At the turn in third place Lewis still had the two others in his sights and in the final 25m Lewis started to close the gap, in a valiant final effort Lewis took the Bronze medals just 0.29 sec down on Burns but in another very impressive best time of 1.22.38.

The Young Jodie Momodu was very unfortunate to have her birthday on the first day of the competition which moved her up an age group for her two breaststroke races the 100m and 200m. Again at the time of writing she had not competed in the 100m event but had done marvellously well in her 200m event. Visibly trembling on the blocks Jodie soon settled into her swimming, after the first 50m she had matched her short-course time and continued to improve her stroke down the second length. At half race distance she had improved on her 100m time by 2/10’s of a second and impressively looked stronger as the race went on. She continued to duel with the girls on the inside lanes and came through for a truly wonderful 3.01.45 to finish as second reserve for the final in 12^th place.