After competing through qualifying rounds with over 300 schools nationwide, our Year 5 and 6 swimmers made waves representing the London Region at the English Schools Swimming Association (ESSA) Primary Team finals. They achieved an incredible win in the Freestyle Relay with a time of 58.58 seconds, with each swimmer breaking the 15-second mark for their 25m split. Their exceptional performance also earned them the Best Overall Boys Team Trophy.

Our team, led by captain Johnny, and comprising Julian, Eli, and Max, faced a challenging path in the competition. They had to navigate a qualifying round and a final in the Freestyle Relay and Medley Relay. The boys’ performance was exceptional, matching the School’s previous best of second place in the Medley Relay two years ago.

The next race was the Freestyle Relay, another strong qualifying round. Given the times in the other qualifying races, the team were excited at their prospects of securing the top spot. In a nail-biting and incredibly tense final, they opened up a lead with Eli in the first-leg and managed to hold on, winning the race in an incredible time of 58:58, with each of the team breaking the 15-second mark for their 25m split.

The gap between first and third place was 0.6 seconds, and it was a nervous check of the boards to see if the boys had won. They did, and by doing so, not only won the Freestyle Relay but also achieved the Best Overall Boys Team Trophy. It was an incredible swim and a fine example of the team’s resilience in thriving under pressure and putting in their best performance to hold on to the lead.

An astounding achievement, especially with our team consisting of three Year 5 students. They will no doubt be back next year to defend their trophy!