Ollie Willis - 200m Backstroke Champion
Kelly College Swim Squad attended the ASA South West Regional Championships at the Life Centre in Plymouth over the bank holiday weekend. Kelly won a total of seventeen medals (six Gold, four Silver and seven Bronze) underpinning this was more than thirty personal best performances. Ellen Keane (17) swimming in the S9 disability category, won Gold in all her events - 200m Individual medley, 100m Breaststroke, 200m Breaststroke, 100m Fly and 50m Breaststroke - the latter being in a new personal best time. Day one saw the Mens 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay gain selection for the National Championships thanks to the efforts of Nikita Ivanov (15), Joe Voller (17), Matthew Courtis (17) and Charlie Bayliss (18). Charlie Bayliss went on to narrowly miss out on a medal and National Qualifying time in the 400m Freestyle but in the process took seven seconds of his previous best time. Other medal winning performances on the first day were: David Colley (15) Silver – 200m Breaststroke. Nikita Ivanov Bronze – 100m Freestyle. Oliver Willis Silver – 50m Backstroke and bronze – 200m Individual Medley. Day two produced two more National Qualifying performances starting with a Silver Medal in the Men’s 4 x 200 Freestyle team consisting of Matthew Courtis, Ollie Willis, Joe Voller and Charlie Bayliss. Oliver Willis produced the second National Qualifying performance of the second day when winning Gold in the 200m Backstroke lowering his best time by over five seconds. Sophie Hastings (14) had an outstanding swim in the Women’s 100m Fly final moving up two positions from the heats to take the Bronze medal. Another notable performance was David Colley winning Bronze in the 1500m Freestyle. Day three kicked off to an exciting start with the Men’s 4 x 100 Medley Relay securing their place at the National Championships courtesy of Oliver Willis, Charlie Bayliss, George Humphrey and Joe Voller. Kelly had a strong showing in the Men’s 200m Fly with Charlie Bayliss taking Silver and Matthew Courtis Bronze. Matthew later went on to finish strongly in the 400m Individual Medley to take Bronze. Nikita Ivanov and Oliver Willis both narrowly missed a medal in the 200m Freestyle event but both posted substantial personal best times along the way.
Other swimmers who achieved pesonal best times included: George Humphrey, Katherine Larcombe, Sam Lewis, Russell Oliver, Lucy Sanderson and Chelsey Taylor.