Rachael defends county record after 10 years

There aren’t many county swimming records that stand for 10 years and there certainly aren’t many, if in fact any swimmers who return after 10 years to break their own record. Rachael Hares however did just that when she put in a gutsy performance at the Shropshire County swimming Championships in Market Drayton last weekend. She set the 100m Breastroke county record in 2001 when she was just 17 and this year she was determined to keep her name in the record books. She defended her county champion title and broke her own record in a nail biting finish that also saw her team mates Charlotte Archdeacon and Charlotte Evans in 3rd and 4th place. After the event team coach, Steve Archdeacon was delighted with the result “Rachael put in a fantastic performance today and swam a very sound tactical race. She has done remarkably well”.

Rachael’s Gold medal was not the only win for the club who finished with 5 Gold medals, 10 silvers and 11 bronzes. Charlotte Archdeacon won Golds in the 100m and 50m backstroke and in the 50m Butterfly. She also got a silver in the 200m Backstroke and Bronze in the 200m Freestyle.

Thomas Penn made his first ever county medal a gold in the 50m freestyle and Lydia Jamieson made it 5 silvers and a bronze in her events and Charlotte Evans came home with a silver and two bronzes. Her brother, Sam broke the one minute mark with his bronze medal winning time of 59:75 in the 100m Freestyle – he also took the bronze in the 50m race.

James Cook made the butterfly look easy by making it two silvers in the 100m and 200m Fly events. Amelia Penn and Abi Fawcett both gained bronze medals in the 100m Breastroke and Abi also come in third in the 50m Backstroke.