Devon County ASA swimmer of the year

Last Saturday at Devon County ASA AGM in Devonport, David Hill of Kelly College was presented, by Mr. Bill Baker, retiring president of DCASA, with the trophy awarded to Devon County ASA Swimmer of the year.  The following address was read out by the Swimming Secretary, Mrs. Christina Tremellen.

‘This year the accolade has been awarded jointly to two swimmers, Liam Tancock of Exeter City and David Hill of Kelly College, both high achievers from different, but equally important, aspects of the sport.

David Hill who is 14 and a member of Kelly College has had considerable success in disability events.  He won 10 events in the S9 category at the British Disability Championships in Sheffield early in the year, 9 of them in competition best times.

At the British Championships he won bronze in the 50m Fly and backstroke in the Disability events and was selected for the World Class Potential Squad.

However for David, who also competes in able-bodies events, the highlight of his year was the two World Short Course Records he set in Plymouth.  He first broke the record in the Devon County ASA Inter-Club Championship Gala in February, when he was still 13, and then broke it again on his 14th birthday at the Championships in March.

Liam Tancock, the other recipient, continues to find success on the national and international stage.  As a member of the senior British Squad he attended the FINA World Cup series in Shanghai, Melbourne and Paris.  In Shanghai he was bronze medallist in the 50m backstroke as well as a finalist in the 2 other events and in Melbourne he finished 4th in the 50m back

Liam medalled at both the British and Long Course and Short Course Championships.

But the crowning glory of his year was his achievements as a member of the highly successful team at the European Junior Championships.  Liam won gold on the first day of the competition setting a senior British Long Course record in the semi final in the 50m Backstroke and broke it again in the final.  He went on to win two further medals for Britain.

He is ranked British number 1 for the 50m and number 2 for the 100m backstroke and has a World ranking of 10th for the shorter distance.  He is a member of the World Class Potential Squad.

Liam who has won this award twice before, has now moved to Loughborough University where we hope he will have continued success.

David and Liam have exciting futures ahead of them and thoroughly deserve this award.’

David was thrilled to receive this trophy which has been won in the past by Olympic silver medallist Sharron Davies, and other Olympians Andy Jameson, Robin Brew (David’s swimming coach), Paul Brew and Helen Slatter, all former Kelly College students.

David recently took part in the Disability Sport England (DSE) National Open Short Course held on the weekend of Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd November at Pond’s Forge International Pool in Sheffield. David entered 5 events over the two days and won three gold and two silver medals in the S9 category and was only beaten by the current Paralympic champion and world record holder James Crisp aged 22. David won gold in the 50m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle and 100m I M, and sliver in the 100m Backstroke and 200 I M. This competition was not on David training plan and he swam through this competition so his times were expected to be down on current form. David however did perform well enough to record times inside the qualifying times for consideration on to the World Class Potential Programme again for 2004/5. The final event of the meet was the 50M Freestyle, this was an exciting climax to David’s weekend battling for the gold medal against Callum Lawson aged 17 with David coming out on top by 0.20 of a second. David is now back at Kelly College training hard for the Welsh ASA disability Championships in Swansea and the Bath Grand Prix (able-bodied).