RTW Monson swimmers smash records at Winter Nationals

The Swim England Winter Short Course National Championships delivered four days of high-quality racing, with a series of outstanding performances, personal bests and record-breaking swims for 13 swimmers from RTW Monson, who came away with a total of 21 medals.

Day one set the tone during the morning heats, with strong qualification swims across multiple events. Amalie Smith, 16, safely progressed to the A final of the 200m Individual Medley, while Emilia Oliver, 17, secured a place in the B final.  Amalie also booked her spot in the 100m Freestyle A final.

15-year-old Bella Jones and 18-year-old Jessica Gable impressed in the 100m Freestyle heats, with Bella making her debut at the Winter Nationals, while Imogen Myles, 16, delivered a standout 100m Breaststroke heat to qualify for the A final.

Josh Hill, 16, also enjoyed a successful debut, recording a personal best in the 200m Backstroke. The session concluded in spectacular fashion as 18-year-old Aran Bissett produced a superb 100m IM, setting a new Junior British Record and qualifying fastest for the evening final.

The first finals session saw the team step up further. Emilia improved on her heat swim to finish eighth in the 200m IM B final. Amalie delivered a lifetime best performance to claim gold in both the Open and Junior 200m IM titles, before returning later to secure a Junior bronze medal in the 100m Freestyle.

Imogen continued her excellent form in the 100m Breaststroke final, lowering her personal best once again to claim Open bronze and Junior gold. Aran closed the night with a commanding win in the 100m IM, taking gold in both Open and Junior categories.

Momentum carried into day two, with several season-best swims in the heats.  Amalie progressed in the 400m IM, while 14-year-old Julia Elvidge, Jess and Emilia all posted strong performances in the 100m Backstroke. Ilana Nightingale-Ellis, 17, and Maddie Hind, 16, showed promising improvements in the 200m Butterfly, with Ilana cutting three seconds from her personal best. Josh added another personal best in the 50m Backstroke, and Imogen continued her consistency with a PB in the 50m Breaststroke.

The evening finals proved equally impressive. Amalie dominated the 400m IM, winning Open and Junior gold while setting a new European Junior Record. She later added Junior bronze in the 100m Backstroke. Ilana secured second place in the Junior 200m Butterfly final, while Imogen earned Junior bronze in the 50m Breaststroke.

Day three featured more strong heat swims, including notable improvements from Olivia Quiller, 14, in the 200m Breaststroke. Imogen and Emilia progressed to finals, while Aran and Amalie qualified for multiple events once again. In the finals, Aran claimed Junior bronze in the 50m Freestyle, Imogen secured Junior gold and Open bronze in the 200m Breaststroke, and Amalie completed a clean sweep of gold medals in the 100, 200 and 400m IM events.

The final day concluded the championships in style. Aran produced another exceptional performance in the 200m IM, lowering his personal best to 1:55.84 to win Junior gold and Open bronze. Amalie followed with a three-second personal best in the 200m Backstroke to claim Junior gold and Open bronze, before finishing the meet with yet another Junior gold in the 100m Butterfly.

With a medal tally of thirteen golds and eight bronze, the championships showcased RTW Monson swimmers’ remarkable depth, resilience and consistency, Head coach, Karen Bradbury commented, “I am absolutely thrilled with our Winter National results, to have such a strong start to the 2025/2026 season puts us in a great place. Knowing the athletes can deliver when it matters most is a key factor for continue success. It is an absolute pleasure to work with this committed team and they continue to inspire our younger swimmers at the club.”