Swimming: Greerton haul in medals

Ian Pugh, 9, won four gold medals at the BOP Long Course Junior Swimming Championships.

The 23-strong Greerton swim team claimed a substantial medal haul at the the BOP Long Course Junior Swimming Championships in Rotorua last weekend.

The team were led by established swimmers such as 12-year-olds Connor Farrell, Jessica Martin, Olivia Cummings and Madison Fuller. However, the number of less-experienced swimmers who stepped up to compete at regional level was pleasing for the club.

Farrell returned to Tauranga with 12 medals. On the final day in torrential rain he won the 400m freestyle and 200m medley gold medals. Martin raced 14 times, recording four personal best times while winning eight medals and making NZ junior times for all butterfly distances. Fuller's highlight was possibly her 32.17 time for the 50m freestyle, falling just .02s short of the gold medal.

Swimming in his second BOP Juniors, 9-year-old Ian Pugh collected a personal haul of eight medals including four gold. Caitlin Farrell, 9, also registered high on the medal count winning four golds and one bronze.

One of the newer squad members Mia Gardiner, 10, made the most of her six events, scoring several medals, highlighted by gold in the 100m backstroke and also in the 100m freestyle, just a split second ahead of another Greerton surprise newcomer Millie Quin.

Aidan Heath, 11, in his first season of competition, won silver in the 50m backstroke and bronze in the 50m breaststroke and the 100m and 200m backstroke.

Edward Fuller forced his way into the team for the NZ Junior championships in the second-to-last event on the programme, the 50m freestyle. He touched in a personal best 35.15s, and won his second bronze medal in the process.

Louis Fitzjohn and Daniel Harrington, both 10, made the podium after the 200m breaststroke with Louis also tasting success in the 100m version as well as the 50m backstroke and the 100m butterfly.

The first-day highlight was the gold medal in the girls' 200m freestyle relay. Led out by Kim Cadzow and Olivia Cummings, Madison Fuller swam a storming third leg to hand over to Jessica Martin, who produced a tight win by half a body length.

The boys' relay combinations of Connor Farrell, Edward Fuller, Donghyun Lee, Aiden Heath and Jacob Browne won two bronze medals in the 200m freestyle relay and 200m medley relay.