Medals galore for Larne Swimming Club

Over 150 individual swims took place between heats and finals over three days of competition, with 97 personal best times and 48 finalists. In all, the team came home with 16 Ulster titles, 10 junior and six senior.

The club’s new senior team member, Chelsey Wilson, won senior titles in the 100m and 200m backstroke and 100m individual medley.

Fourteen-year-old Conor Ferguson was in record-breaking form, claiming the Ulster senior title in the 200m backstroke and junior title in the 200m, 100m and 50m backstroke. He also set new Ulster junior records in the 200m and 100m backstroke.

In addition to his four individual golds, Ferguson also picked up a senior silver medal in the 100m backstroke, two golds and one youth bronze medal.

Another junior swimming sensation, Newtownabbey’s Danielle Hill won a staggering 13 gold medals during the course of the competition.

Danielle picked up a senior title in the 50 metres backstroke, and also set a new Ulster junior title, being the first-ever Ulster swimmer under the age of 16 to break 30 seconds for the 50m backstroke.

She was also part of the girl’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay team which won gold with team members Eorann O’Neill, Oonagh O’Neill and Katie Baird. Danielle won junior titles in 800m and 200m freestyle, 200m, 100m and 50m back, 200m individual medley. She also took home five youth gold medals.

Hill won senior silver medals in the 800m freestyle, 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley. Louise Hill took silver in the 50m breaststroke, and Conor Ferguson in the 100m backstroke.

The girls’ relay teams also picked up silver medals in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay (Eorann O’Neill, Oonagh O’Neill, Katie Baird and Danielle Hill) and the 4 x 100m Medley relay (Danielle Hill, Louise Hill, Oonagh O’Neill and Eorann O’Neill).

Claiming senior bronze medals were Eorann O’Neill in the 200m, 100m and 50m freestyle, and also the 50m backstroke; James Richardson in the 50m butterfly, Louise Hill in the 200m breaststroke, and Ruairi Hurson in the 400m freestyle.

The boys’ 4 x 100m and 4 x 200m freestyle relay teams also won bronze medals (James Richardson, Ruairi Hurson, Conor Ferguson, Conor Brines).

Other senior finalists included Kendra Kemp, Oonagh O’Neill, Ellen O’Neill, Louise Hill, Eorann O’Neill, Katie Baird, Conor Ferguson, Ruairi Hurson, James Richardson and Conor Brines.

Other junior swimmers winning medals were Katie Baird who won one silver and one bronze, Kirsty McHenry with two silver, and James Richardson, coming home with one silver.

Next up is the Irish Short Course Championships, held in Lisburn at the end of the month.