Super six titles among big medal haul for University of Bath Swimming Club at Golden Bear Meet in Croatia
The University of Bath Swimming Club won 24 medals, six of them gold, and recorded 22 personal bests when they enjoyed a successful trip to Zagreb, Croatia, for the 37th Golden Bear Meet.
Niamh Ward produced a hat-trick of backstroke victories over 50m (29.4), 100m (1:02.49) and 200m (2:13.87), while Business student Jemima Hall won 200m freestyle gold (2:00.47) and silver in the 50m backstroke (29.96), 50m freestyle (26.51), 100m backstroke (1:03.22) and 100m freestyle (56.01).
Tom Beagley (Mechanical Engineering) claimed 100m breaststroke gold (1:04.90) plus bronze over 200m (2:20.51) and Cypriot international Markos Iakovidis (Sports Performance) won the 50m breaststroke (28.79).
Ekaterina Price (Sport and Exercise Science) was runner-up to team-mate Hall in the 200m freestyle (2:05.92) and added another silver in the 200m fly (2:16.51). Emily Morgan-Hughes (Sports Performance) was another double silver-medallist, in the 50m breaststroke (32.77) and 200m individual medley (2:24.14), along with her 100m breaststroke bronze (1:11.48).
Silver medals also went to Archie Evans (Sport Management and Coaching) in the 50m backstroke (26.75) and Annabel Smith (Business) in the 50m freestyle (26.51), with the latter adding 50m fly bronze (27.73). Other bronze-medallists were Tobi Sijuade (Health and Exercise Science) in the 50m breaststroke (29.30); Rob Darbyshire (Mechanical with Automotive Engineering) in the 50m freestyle (22.97); Miles Drabwell (Economics) in the 200m backstroke (2:08.0); David Miller (Sports Performance) in the 100m breaststroke (1:06.05); and Jana Spinner (Natural Sciences) in the 50m breaststroke (33.39).
In total 19 of the 22 swimmers in the squad competed in finals, recording a further 26 top-eight placings between them, much to the delight of Mark Skimming, Head of Swimming at the University of Bath.
“For a meet that was not tapered we had some fantastic results and some great racing from all,” he said. “It has been a great experience with a couple of days’ training prior to the meet. Our hosts looked after us very well and we even had tour of Zagreb learning about the history of the city.
“Well done to the swimmers – you have represented the University of Bath excellently.”
Click here to find out more about the student swimming programme at the University of Bath.
Pictures courtesy Cro Swimming by Wozdecky – click here to see a full gallery on Flickr.
