MOHAMMED AND HOUSTON STAR ATTRACTIONS
XAVIER Mohammed and Scott Houston were the leading lights
on the penultimate day of the Swimming Times ASA National
Youth and ASA Championships at Sheffield's Ponds Forge International
Sports Centre.
Having already broken a new British age-group record in winning
a gold medal in the men's open 200 metres individual medley
final on Thursday, 16-year-old Bexley splash sensation Mohammed
rewrote the record books again.
The talented teenager stormed to victory in the 15/16 years
200 metres backstroke final, setting a new British age-group
record in a time of 2.03.13 seconds. Mohammed's swim was also
a lifetime best, bettering his previous fastest swim of 2.04.68
seconds.
"I've had an amazing week and I'm really pleased with
the way I've been swimming," revealed a clearly delighted
Mohammed, who also won a silver medal in the 15/16 years 200
metres freestyle final earlier in the championship.
"I've been training really hard and my targets were to
set new British records at this championship. I'm so pleased
with how I swam."
Between 23-27 August Mohammed will compete in the inaugural
World Youth Championship in Rio De Janeiro alongside six other
British swimmers.
Seven British swimmers will make the trip to Brazil, with
five girls and two boys - one of whom will be Mohammed - included
in the team, all of whom will be looking to gain valuable
international experience.
"Swimming here [in Sheffield] has been a good gauge for
me to see how well I'm swimming," added Mohammed. "I
think I can go quicker in Brazil. Hopefully I can perform
when I'm out there. I'm really looking forward to it."
It also proved to be good night for Stirling Swim star Houston,
with the 18-year-old also creating his own slice of history
in South Yorkshire.
Having produced a lifetime best swim of 56.37 seconds to
win a gold medal in the second event of the evening, the 17/18
years 100 metres butterfly, Houston went a step better.
An inspired swim of 2.02.15 seconds saw the teenager set
a new British age-group record in the 17/18 years 200 metres
backstroke final. His time was also a lifetime best, eclipsing
his previous personal best of 2.03.40 seconds.
It has been a good week for Houston who, earlier this week,
was a gold-medal winner in the 100 metres backstroke final
and last year tasted sweet success when he won a silver medal
in the 15/16 years 100 metres butterfly final.
The six-day championship also includes multi discipline events
- and it was visually impaired swimmer Rhiannon Henry who
gave the crowd plenty to shout about with an excellent swim
in the S1-14 women's MD 100 metres.
The S13 class swimmer clocked an impressive time of 1.02.19
seconds to set a new British record, a mark which was just
over two seconds off setting a new lifetime best swim.
But the best was still to come as the Welsh starlet went
on to make even more history, setting a new World record in
the women's MD 50 metres butterfly final, having early grabbed
a set a new European record in the heats.
The 19-year-old's time of 30.44 seconds bettered Canadian
swimmer Valerie Grand-Maison's standard of 31.05 seconds.
Not to be outshone, Oldham Aquatics ace Ben Procter, an S14
class swimmer, set a new British record in the men's MD S1-14
50 metres butterfly final with a time of 29.05 seconds.
The North West star also set a new British record in the
MD S1-14 100 metres freestyle final, setting a new British
record time of 57.52 seconds in the heats. However, the 16-year-old
lost out to Stockport Metro's Daniel Pepper, who was crowned
this year's champion thanks to gathering 885 points, just
19 points ahead of his rival.
Saturday was a good day for a whole string of swimmers, many
of whom produced lifetime best swims on the way to winning
gold medals.
City of Salford's James Doolan clocked 55.75 seconds, bettering
his previous personal best of 56.14 seconds on the way to
winning gold in the men's 15/16 years 100m butterfly final.
Thomas Kerr's (Warrender Baths) lifetime best of 56.55 seconds
secured him a silver medal, while Thomas Hollingsworth (Beau
Sejour) guaranteed himself a bronze medal with a lifetime
best of 56.57.
Other gold medal winners were Charlotte Barnes (Bath University),
Rebecca Hills (Co Glasgow), Lauren Collins (Co of Birmingham),
Claudia Coleman (Plymouth Leander), Christopher Fox (Wolverhampton),
Grant Turner (Tigersharks), Ellen Gandy (Beckenham), Jemma
Lowe (Bo Stockton), Robert Welbourn (Lincoln Vulcans), Daniel
Pepper (Stockport Metro), Danielle Watts (Co Oxford), Sophie
Caul (Co Birmingham) and Robert Lang (Co Edinburgh).
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