Monson makes splash at GB Aquatics Next Generation Summer Championships

RTW Monson Swimming Club delivered an exceptional week of racing at the GB Aquatics Next Generation Summer Championships, held at Ponds Forge in Sheffield last month, with multiple podium finishes, personal bests, and a powerful display of team spirit across six days of action-packed swimming.

Held over six days, the championships brought together some of the best emerging talent in British swimming, and Monson’s athletes rose to the challenge with grit, determination, and top-class performances.

The championships got off to a flying start for Monson as club captain, 18-year-old Hayden Annan delivered a comfortable heat swim in the 200m Freestyle, qualifying second fastest for the final. That evening, he didn’t disappoint, holding steady through the first half, accelerating over the second 100m, and powering home to take gold.

Aubry Armada Bennett, 17, impressed with a new personal best in the 100m Breaststroke heats, finishing 14th in his age group. Ilana Nightingale-Ellis, 17 and Maddie Hind, 16, also opened their accounts in the 200m Butterfly, both executing mature and well-structured races.

Day three brought a flurry of strong swims in the 100m Backstroke from Julia Elvidge, 14, Hannah Murphy, 18, Jess Gable, 18, and 17-year-old Emilia Oliver in the 200m Individual Medley, with Julia progressing to the final alongside 16-year-old Amalie Smith, fresh from her record-breaking win at the European Juniors event in Slovakia last month. Olivia Quiller, 14 and Aubry followed in the Breaststroke events, with Olivia booking a lane in the evening’s showdown.

The finals delivered more medals as Julia dropped a remarkable 1.5 seconds from her morning swim to claim silver in the 13/14yrs 100m Backstroke with a time of 1:05.03. Amalie stormed to gold in the 16yrs category, clocking a lifetime best of 1:02.78. Olivia added to the medal haul with a bronze in the 100m Breaststroke (1:13.91), capping a thrilling evening.

Day four was relay day, and Monson were out to make a statement. In the morning heats of the 4x100m Freestyle, the 14-16yrs team of Amalie, Maddie, Bella Jones, and Lilly Deller took 3.5 seconds off their entry time to qualify fastest for the final. The 17 & over team of club captain Jess Gable, Emilia Oliver, Chloe Edwards, and Hannah Murphy followed suit, also slashing three seconds from their seed time.

Jess had earlier posted a standout performance in the 50m Freestyle, clocking a lifetime best of 26.91. Meanwhile, Paralympic Silver medallist Callie Ann Warrington booked her place in the 50m Freestyle MC final after topping the heats.

The finals did not disappoint. Bella, in her first Next Generation final, set another lifetime best of 4:34.47 in the 400m Freestyle to finish 9th. Amalie added bronze and another PB in the same event (4:18.50), while Hayden finished 6th in the 100m Freestyle, improving on his morning heat swim.

Callie Ann showed her class in the 50m MC final, upgrading her heat swim to take gold, scoring the highest points in her category. The 14-16yrs freestyle relay girls were back in action in the final event of the night, securing a brilliant silver behind Mount Kelly after an all-out performance from the entire team.

Day five featured the long-distance relays, with the 4x200m Freestyle on the schedule. The 17yrs+ squad of Hannah, Chloe, Jess, and Phoebe Gage delivered a polished race, with Jess finishing on a high by anchoring with a personal best. The 14-16yrs girls, still fired up from the previous night’s silver, returned with Lilly opening strong. Maddie swam a season’s best, and Bella closed the gap before Amalie obliterated a 15m deficit to power home to a convincing gold.

Amalie and Bella didn’t stop there. Both jumped back in the pool for the 200m Freestyle, with Bella posting yet another PB and Amalie collecting her third gold of the meet.

Julia then stormed to a British age group title in the 200m Backstroke with a massive PB, adding another gold for Monson.

Chengze Duan, 18, and Maddie performed well in the Butterfly finals, both securing 5th-place finishes with season-best swims, while Callie returned to the podium with silver in the 100m Freestyle MC.

With everyone remaining in fantastic spirits for the final day of the competition, Monson swimmers delivered one of their strongest sessions yet. Hayden led with a controlled 400m Freestyle, saving his best for the final, where he unleashed a powerful last 50m to take gold and end his Monson career on a high before heading to the U.S. for university.

Olivia produced a dominant performance in the 200m Breaststroke final, leading from start to finish and taking gold in commanding style. Emilia, following up a strong morning swim, had a solid final showing, while Maddie posted another season’s best in the 100m Fly, finishing 5th.

In the final relays, Julia (Backstroke), Amalie (Breaststroke), Maddie (Fly), and Bella (Freestyle) came together for the 4x100m Medley and secured a hard-earned bronze to close the meet.

Across the six days, Monson swimmers achieved dozens of personal and seasonal bests, 11 podium finishes in individual events, and three relay medals, showcasing the team’s depth, resilience, and relentless pursuit of excellence.