The 101 Hemel swimmers who competed in the Hemel Birthday Open Gala at the weekend set 4 new Club records, won 74 gold medals along with 133 silver and bronze medals, and set 439 personal best times. Congratulations to Grace Rayner who broke her own open Club record for the 50 breaststroke, Alice Fender who set two new age group records in the 50 and 400 free, Leanne Abrey who set a new age group record in the 50 breaststroke, and to Emily Young and Amber Stratford on achieving their first County qualifying times of the season.
In addition to setting new Club records, Alice Fender also won 5 gold medals. Jack Christie, Shona McKenna, Harrison Newbury-Kemp, Holly Robinson, Georgia Purkis and Rebecca Sewell all won four golds. Eleanor Bevan, Ashley Coombs (who also went sub 1 minute for the 100 free for the first time), Kira Doyle, Jonny Farrow, Josh Gaines, Keelin McKenna, Vanessa Parker and Grace Rayner all won three golds, and Leanne Abrey, Grace Cawley, Kyle Holmes, Max Jelfs, Mattias Morse and Aimee Woodage all won two golds.
Other swimmers who had an excellent meet but found themselves up against strong opposition in their age group were Millie Herbert, Rayne Marsh and Emily Young, all of who set 6 new personal best times, Chris Cox, and Luke Pestaille, who set five new PBs each and Charlotte Hingston, Kyle Holmes, Vanessa Parker, Rebecca Rumble and Tilly Stratford, all of whom set 4 new PBs. Izzy Anderton, Freya Beresford, Luke Carl, Holly Carter, Lewis Clark, Joe Coldwell, Amelie Perrault, Chloe Purkis, Amber Stratford, Sam Ward and Nathan Whiting all set 3 new PBs.