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26 May 2022
Held in the London Aquatic Centre, in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the team consisted of six competitors: Bertie, Halle and Blossom, in year 7, and Lottie, Scarlett and Bea, in year 8. The girls competed against much larger schools, both in the pool and from the stands, and secured a huge achievement as Champions of their category.
Their performances on Saturday indicated early on that they would be competitive as they finished 2nd to St Peters School, York in the 4 x 50m Freestyle relay. Individual medals from the first day were as follows: Lottie – 1 Gold; Bertie – 2 Silver and 2 Bronze; Scarlett – 2 Silver and Halle – 1 Silver and 1 Bronze.
The best performance came in the Individual Medley Relay (4 x 50m) with a team Gold. Each swimmer performed at their absolute peak leading to Scarlett bringing home the Gold on the anchor leg, by a good 5 metres; the leader board was close. Individual medals from the second day were as follows: Scarlett – 2 Gold; Bertie – 2 Silver and 1 Bronze; Lottie – 1 Silver and 1 Bronze; Halle – 1 Silver and 1 Bronze and Bea – 1 Bronze.
The main highlight was the Individual Medley Relay (4 x100m) with another team Gold. Their main competition from the previous relay changed their order to try to compete with the TH team but fell short, resulting in the jubilant TH girls receiving the Relay trophy. This fantastic group of girls triumphed over the other larger schools to be crowned World School Games Champions.
There were some high-level swimmers competing at the event, such as the No.1 Year 7 UK Breaststroke swimmer, in the Year 8 age group; this led to some superb races against Bertie and Halle. But no school had so many bases covered as the TH team: the girls swam in a large number of events each to ensure they picked up points with every point being vital. Indeed, it was all about the team, and each point achieved by each of the team members.
Barry Alldrick, Head Coach stated: ‘What an achievement, the set-up of the Championships turned the somewhat individual sport of swimming into a team event in which our pupils thrived. For a young academy we THink big, and this is a win we will celebrate for a while. The girls were a huge credit to the school; handling disappointments well, yet enlightening the cameras and podium with their smiles and personalities when successful, with all girls joining any relay /team successes.’
Parent, Rob Richmond, also commented: ‘What a great weekend. Thanks go to Danny, Kris and Barry for organising and entering TH. It was a pleasure to be part of the operational team, and I want to say how very proud the school, the parents and the girls themselves should be.’ Adding, ‘It’s been one of the best weekends; to come back champions with a small team of six, asking them to swim that many events makes the win even more of an achievement. TH swim academy has just taken off on the international map.’
