St Andrews swimmers step back into the pool

A superb performance by the 10-12 girls’ A team (Esmée Thoms, Sian Ritchie, Isla Thoms and Mirren Bell) saw them take a clean sweep of individual gold medals and the medley relay gold as well.

Head coach, Mark Keracher, heralded the girls’ achievement which has never been done before in the history of the club.

The A team was well backed up by the B team (Orla Suttie, Tara Wallace, Abbey Wallace and Anna Suttie) who took relay silver.

Abbey also raced to an individual silver in the 50m butterfly.

Russell Laker took silver in the boys’ 10-12 50m butterfly, and Fraser Stewart and Freya Hedley demonstrated accomplished technique for such young swimmers to win their 25m butterfly events.

Swimming 25m breaststroke, Finn Bell initially led his race, but was caught at the end to secure bronze.

Finn, Fraser and their teammates Archie Suttie and Beinn Anderson also took silver in the relay.

Last medal of the morning came courtesy of the 10-12 boys, a bronze in the relay.

For the second year in a row, the club had to concede second place in the overall standings to Carnegie Swimming Club (Dunfermline).

In the Fife Championships, the club welcomed back Laura McInnes to competitive action after a two year absence.

Laura, along with Eilish Noble, Maddy Wallard, Corey Findlay, Hamish Noble and Isaac Laker finished in the top eight in the 100 IM.

All of these swimmers, plus Harry Paul, Mairi Noble, Angus McCallum and David de Wolff qualified through the heats to make at least one 50m final, with Corey (bronze in breaststroke), Hamish (silver in breaststoke), Eilish (bronze in butterfly), Isaac (silver in butterfly), Laura (bronze in freestyle) and Harry (silver in freestyle) all taking home medals.

As always, it was not all about medals, but also about swimmers competing at their own personal best level.

The club’s Kirstin McCallum pulled out one of the club’s best swims of the day in her last event – the 50m freestyle – for a new two second PB.