SWIMMING — Success For Inverclyde ASC At Scottish Summer MeetSIX dedicated swimmers from Inverclyde Amateur Swimming Club competed at the Scottish Summer Meet at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Edinburgh.
More than 600 swimmers took part in the four-day event. From 23 swims, the Inverclyde team achieved 17 finals places, one bronze, four silver and two gold medals — both won by Aimee Watson, pictured right — and many new personal best (PB) times.
The club got off to a great start on the Thursday, with Thomas Cannon and Matthew Garrity in action in the 400-metre individual medley and the 800-metre freestyle respectively. Both boys swam to superb silver medals in these tough events, with Thomas also getting a new PB.
On the Friday the heats were in the morning and afternoon sessions with the finals in the evening. Matthew qualified for the finals in all three of his events –- the 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre butterfly and the 400-metre freestyle.
Matthew opted to withdraw from the 400-metre event to ensure he was fresh for the sprint distances. Aimee Watson also qualified for the 100-metre freestyle final. Aaron Gray swam a great 100-metre butterfly, just missing out on a lane in the finals by finishing ninth.
Molly and Thomas Cannon
Next to swim for the club was Molly Cannon in the 100-metre breaststroke. Despite a good technical performance, Molly was unlucky to finish in 12th place and missed out on a swim in the evening final.
Jay Keith, above, was the lone representative for the club in the afternoon session. Swimming in his first summer meet, Jay gained valuable experience and performed well in the 100-metre butterfly and 50-metre breaststroke.
Matthew Garrity and Aimee Watson
In the evening finals, Aimee went first in the 100-metre freestyle, finishing in seventh place just outside her fastest time. Matthew followed with a fourth-place finish in the 50-metre freestyle final and fifth in the 100-metre butterfly, setting great new PBs in both races.
Saturday was another busy day for the club. The morning session saw Aimee, Thomas and Molly make the finals of all their events. In the afternoon, Jay swam another great race in the 100-metre breaststroke to finish in 10th place and just outside his best time.
The first finalist of the evening was Aimee in the 50-metre freestyle, finishing in eighth place with a new PB. She returned to action in the 100-metre butterfly, where she was seeded sixth for the final. Aimee put in an outstanding fighting performance to take the gold medal and set a great new PB.
Thomas was in action in three finals. His first race was the 100-metre breaststroke, in which he fought hard to take another silver medal. After a short rest, he was back for the 200-metre individual medley final. Seeded sixth, Thomas managed to match his fastest time to take the bronze medal. He was then back in the pool almost immediately to contest the 50-metre backstroke final. Once again he managed to match his best time and finished in sixth place.
Sister Molly was also in action in the 50-metre breaststroke final, improving on her morning time and finishing seventh overall.
The final day of competition on Sunday saw yet more finalists with Matthew the first swimmer in action in the evening. Competing in the 50-metre butterfly, Matthew finished in fifth place with a new PB. He was then back in action in the 200-metre freestyle. Having picked up a shoulder niggle in the butterfly, Matthew battled through the pain to secure a great silver medal, even swimming very close to his fastest time.
Aimee was also competing in the 50-metre butterfly final and cruised to her second gold medal of the meet with a new PB time.
Thomas then swam in the 100-metre backstroke, finishing in a solid seventh place. The last finalist of the meet was Molly in the 200-metre breaststroke. Molly had also contested the 100-metre backstroke in the morning, but missed out on a final place. In the breaststroke final however, Molly put in a disciplined performance to finish in seventh place.
Overall, it was an excellent set of results for the club. Coach Shirley Reford said: “For some of the swimmers — Molly, Aaron and Jay — it was their last competition before the summer break and I’m impressed with their commitment as well as their performances. They’ve stayed focused in training and seized the opportunity to improved their racing skills and gain valuable experience of competing at a national level.
“With three of the swimmers in action preparing for the British Summer Championships later in July, it was an excellent set of results. Aimee, Matthew and Thomas are in the middle of hard training and preparation for the event, so winning seven medals here was a huge bonus and confidence boost for them.
“Their times were very encouraging, with a good number of PBs providing cause for optimism at the British Championships. We can’t wait to get there and compete against the best in Britain.”
The British Summer Championships take place from 23 to 28 July and will be live streamed via youtube. Follow Inverclyde Amateur Swimming Club on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) for further details.
