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DEAN REIGNS SUPREME
Dean Smith took Top Boy Award and his team-mates all had a share of early Christmas Cheer

The City of Oxford was the latest venue for another staggering performance by Killerwhales SC. At the end of a gruelling weekend of competitive swimming Coach Issy Joels commented “Do not underestimate what these swimmers have achieved this weekend, there have been many remarkable performances especially when you consider that we have not even started tapering our training for competitions. It’s quite frightening to think of how they will swim when we do start honing them.”

Epitomising the Killerwhales spirit was Dean Smith who took the award for Top Boy ahead of the 190+ boys and men swimming throughout the weekend. Of the 15 separate races Dean competed in all but one event and was never outside of the top 6, his final medal tally reading 2 golds, 2 silvers, 3 bronze, 3 fourths, 3 fifths and a sixth place.

Competing in the boys 13/14 year age group Dean’s gold medals came in the 50m and 200m butterfly, he took silver in the 100m fly and 50m backstroke, bronze in the 50m back and 100m medley was followed with 4^th place in the 100 & 200m breaststrokes and 200m backstroke, 5^th place in 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle and 6^th in the 200m individual medley. If that wasn’t enough his fifth place in the 50m free earned him the right to compete in the 50m skins final where  8 qualifying swimmers race 50m every 3 mins and the slowest swimmers each time is eliminated, Dean for good measure finished 3^rd.

Young Lewis Clifford-Stephenson proved he was the best 11/12year old breaststroker by taking the gold medal in all three disciplines. Bronze and 5^th place in the 100m & 200m medley races and fourth in the 100m freestyle were evidence that Lewis is not just a one-trick pony.

Daniel Hime (boys 15/16 age group) was a worthy winner of the 200m breaststroke, he took silver in the 100m breast, as well as the 100m medley and 200m butterfly. Three four places were secured in the 200m medley and freestyle and 100m fly. A fifth place in the 50m fly was rounded off with 6^th place in the 50m back.

In the 17 years and over age group David Haynes claimed a hat-trick of silver medals in the 200m backstroke, butterfly and freestyle events, fourth in the 200m medley and a pair of fifth places in 100m medley and butterfly.

Daniel Bleach, Johnny Congdon and Tom Bircham also grabbed medals in the boys 13/14 age group. Dan took silver in the 200m butterfly, 4^th and 5^th in the 100m and 50m fly respectively and 6^th in the 50m backstroke. Johnny took all three medals in the 50, 100 and 200m butterfly. Tom grabbed the bronze 50m breaststroke medal and also took 6^th place in the 100m backstroke.

Kirsty Forbes in the 15/16 year age group had a hard weekend of swimming, she made the final of the 50m freestyle skins where she made the final three. She took 3 gold medals in the 200m medley, 200m back and 200m freestyle, she also had three silver medals in 100m medley, 50m & 100m backstroke. She was placed fourth in both the 50m & 100m fly, 5^th in the 50m free and 6^th in the 100m free.

Julia Braybrooke left Oxford with a fist full of medals from the 17+ age group, gold in the 200m fly was followed with bronze 100m fly and 5^th 50m fly, she took silver  in 200m freestyle and 6^th 100m free, she also had bronze and 5^th in the 200m & 100m medley with 4^th place in both the 100m backstroke and breaststroke.

11year old Jodie Momodu was very unlucky not to take a hat-trick of gold in her 11/12 breaststroke races, all 3 (50m, 100m and 200m) where won in very quick times but an eagle eyed judge spotted a faulty turn and subsequently disqualified her from the 100m.

Two other breaststroke queens took home honours, Henny Andrews and Ellen Scott were competing in the 15/16 and 13/14 age groups respectively. Henny took bronze in the 200m and two 5^th places in the 50m and 100m events. Ellen was placed in 5^th for the 50m and 6^th for the 100m. She just missed out on 6^th in the 200m when she was pipped by a finger tip by team-mate Lauren Rouffe, Lauren took bronze in the 50m fly and 200m medley and was also place 4^th in the 200 medley, she completed her medal haul with 6^th in the 200m freestyle.

As well as the top six finishes there were many personal best time improvements, view all medal places and personal best times on the result sheet via the link below.

see results sheet