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TWO NEW BRITISH AGE GROUP RECORD SET
TWO new British age-group records were set on the third day
of the Swimming Times ASA National Youth and ASA Championships
at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.
Splash sensations Xavier Mohammed and Peter Thompson stole
the limelight with a series of sparking swims in South Yorkshire.
Sixteen-year-old Bexley splash sensation Mohammed turned
on the style in the men's open 200m individual medley final,
while fellow teenager Thompson excelled to win gold in the
men's 15/16yrs butterfly final.
Thanks to an impressive time of 2.04.22 seconds - an improvement
of 9.48 seconds on his heat qualifying time - Mohammed made
sure of first place on the podium in a closely fought 200IM
final, his time also shading his previous personal best, 2.05.83
seconds, by over a second and a half.
Mohammed led from the front for the entire race and, despite
a strong challenge from 2005 ASA Youth 17/18yrs champion Craig
Elliot (City of Manchester Aquatics) kept his nose in front
to savour sweet success.
Elliot, 19, touched home less than a hundredth of a second
behind in a tense final freestyle leg, while Loughborough
University swimmer Ben Ward, 21, took bronze in a time of
2.07.30 seconds.
"I saw him [Elliot] over my shoulder and I thought 'I'll
have to get my head down here', so I did and gave it everything
I had," said a delighted Mohammed, who in two weeks time
competes in the World Youth Championship in the Brazilian
city of Rio De Janeiro (23-27 August).
"That's the fastest I've ever swam. I felt amazing out
there. I had a great start and just felt really comfortable
on the last leg having had a good start."
Mohammed trains for 18 and a half hours a week and outlined
his plans for further success at this year's championship.
"I've entered for six races this year and won a silver
medal in the 100m backstroke on the first day of the competition,"
added Mohammed. "I'd love to win some more medals."
Not to be outdone, Thompson made sure he had an evening to
savour with a new British age-group record in the men's 15/16yrs
butterfly final.
The 16-year-old clocked a time of 2.02.60 seconds to win
gold, edging Australia's Daniel Arnamnart by 0.39 hundredths
of a second. Adam Mallett, swimming for Lincoln Vulcans, won
bronze in a time of 2.05.99, three seconds behind the teenager
from Down Under.
Elsewhere, it proved a good night for a whole host of swimmers
who walked away with gold medals.
2005 European Junior Championship 100m butterfly silver medallist
Jemma Lowe was in fine form.
The Hartlepool-born teenager, also a Welsh record-holder,
raced to victory in the women's 16/17yrs 100m butterfly final,
taking first place with a time of 1.00.65.
Stockton's Lowe, coached by Graeme Antwistle, edged Louise
Pate (Heart of Midlothian) 1.00.84, and Justine Clark (Leamington)
1.01.78 in the standings.
Lauren Collins (Co Birmingham), Hannah Wilson (Ealing), Christopher
Fox (Wolverhampton), Mark Strachan (Co Coventry), Georgia
Davies (Swim Swansea), Lorna Smith (Co Glasgow), Stuart Houston
(Stirling Swim), Ellen Gandy (Beckenham), Natalie Massey (Stockport
Metro), Natalie Jones (Colchester), Jazim Carlin (Tigersharks),
Ben Hockin (Swansea), Kate Richardson (Kingston Hull), Chris
Watkinson (Loughborough), Belinda Hocking (Australia), Matthew
Edwards (Loughborough), Lowri Tynan (Wrexham), Daniel Arnamnart
(Australia), Kate Arnold (Swansea) and Elizabeth Johnson (Swansea)
also won gold medals.
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