Medals galore for Coast
Coast Swim Club held its own at the New Zealand Short Course Championships.
Its 22-strong team went up against 650 swimmers from 96 clubs in five days of action hosted at the Sir Owen G. Glenn. National Aquatic Centre in the last week of the school holidays placing 9th on the national stage.
Kids aged 13 and up to 18 years have to reach tough qualifying times for this prestigious event.
The championship attracted clubs from Whangarei to Invercargill, as well as 35 swimmers from Australia and one from Egypt.
By the end of the five days of competition Coast Swim Club’s best swimmers had bagged a grand total of 20 medals.
Leading the way with the medal count was Jonathan Selman who took eight medals including five golds for 50, 100 and 200 metre backstroke.
Cole Price won three medals, all golds for 50, 100m and 200m breaststroke.
Eve Thomas took silver and bronze for 800 and 400m freestyle.
Jelani Freesir-Wetzell brought home another medal for Coast, Taine Johnston took three more and Joshua McCormack-Goeth won two.
Coach Steve Kent, who has just returned from the 2016 World Lifesaving Championships with an impressive medal haul and the overall national team title, swam with Joshua McCormack-Goeth, Taine Johnston and David Van Der Star in the open mens 4x100m freestyle relay winning a bronze medal.
The rest of the team consisted of Mia Boot, Kara Drinnan, Raedon Kane, Steven Kent, Kieran Pangalila, Levi Ata, Jeppe Mathiassen, Saacha McCormackGoeth, Tori McTeigue, Samara Shore, Callum and Kendra Stinson, Lyric S’ua and Kate Wignell.
There were some excellent personal best times and a total of six club records were also broken.
Coaches John Gatfield and Steve Kent are very proud of the team as they all put in a ‘‘sterling effort’’ and have let their proud swimmers have a week off for a break.
The short course championships was a good lead in to the Surf Life Saving New Zealand National Pool Championships at the weekend, with many of the Coast swimmers winning more medals for their surf clubs and breaking national records and setting personal bests.