Unforgettable Moments from the Island Swimming Championships

The inaugural sessions of the 2024 Isle of Man Swimming Championships at the NSC showcased remarkable performances from competitors in all age divisions.

Kieran Watterson surged through the 800m freestyle event to secure the first gold medal, finishing with an outstanding time of nine minutes 20.84 seconds, with a 20-second lead over 13-year-old Ed Pearson who took the silver.

Jacob Craine completed the podium, earning bronze with a determined swim time of 9m 50.93s.

Lauren Dennett excelled in the female category (and achieved the second fastest time overall), finishing at a brisk 9:28.35.

Zoe Neuwirt followed closely with a robust 10:04.44, narrowly defeating clubmate Holly McEvoy, who recorded 10:06.63 in a tightly contested race.

Another event categorized as a distance swim during the competition was the 400m individual medley (IM); its difficulty, however, does not dissuade younger competitors from attempting it—with 13-year-old Carter Kneale taking victory against Douglas clubmates Eli Birchenough (12) and Rory Teare (11).

Top-30 British age-group ranked backstroke swimmer Libby Curphey showcased her skill in the open 200m backstroke, clinching the gold medal with an impressive time of 2:22.06, ahead of clubmate Kaya Reynolds.

Kaya narrowly beat out both Evelyn King from Ramseian and Peel’s Georgina Ford in a fiercely contested fight for the other podium positions.

Oscar Garczynski showcased a remarkable swim in the 11-and-under 100m butterfly, claiming first place with a time of 1:37.86. He finished ahead of Billy Robertson from Ramseian and Douglas swimmer Joe Wardle who also made a strong effort at only 10 years old.

The 12/13 age group featured a fiercely contested rivalry among three skilled and dedicated swimmers. Carter Kneale triumphed with a time of 1:09.39, closely defeating Oscar Maddrell, while Ed Pearson secured the bronze medal.

Jack Marshall took first place in the 14/15 division, registering a time of 1:09.01 to outpace his Douglas teammates Tom Clague and Harvey Barrow, who finished with silver and bronze, respectively.

The senior event saw Connor Mealin make a comeback following a persistent injury, finishing strongly with a time of 1:04.52 for the win, while 57-year-old Robert Frize also delivered a notable performance, registering a time of 1:13.79.

The 50m freestyle sprint for girls created exhilarating contests and remarkable displays throughout the age categories.

In the 11-and-under division, Hailey Henrico captured victory in a nail-biting race, narrowly defeating her Douglas teammate Megan Williamson by merely 0.3 seconds. Henrico stopped the clock at 33.04 to Williamson’s 33.34, while newcomer Issy Kermeen-Quirk secured the bronze with a time of 34.67. The event

featured an outstanding turnout of 28 competitors.

In the 12-13 age category, only one name was on course for gold, as Olivia Wiliamson achieved a time of 28.92 seconds, breaking the 29-second barrier for the first occasion. Julia Jacobs and Lily Walkingshaw followed closely with impressive times of 31.29 and 31.60, earning them silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Triumphing in the 14-15 category, Lauren Dennett finished with a brisk time of 28.28, outpacing Libby Curphey, who clocked in at 28.57, while Zoe Neuwirt secured third with a time of 29.00.

In the 16-and-over division, guest competitor Amelia Hardy seized gold with an impressive 27.16. Chloe Batty from Peel Swimming Club was a close second, finishing just outside her personal best with a time of 27.55, while Ellie Johnson claimed bronze with a solid performance of 29.11.

Oscar Garczynski secured his second gold medal of the day in the 100m individual medley (IM), timing in at 1:26.07. He led ahead of Henry Mackenzie, who won silver with a time under 1:30, and Thomas McEvoy, taking home the bronze.

In the 12-13 group, Carter Kneale emerged victorious once more, finishing with a strong time of 1:09.39. Jacob Garczynski followed with a time of 1:11.52, while Oscar Maddrell earned bronze, with all three improving notably on their preliminary times.

In the super final, Kieran Watterson achieved a time of 1:02.55 for the 16-and-over gold, with 14-year-old Jamie Farnan impressively finishing second in 1:04.36, while Oliver Dowty secured bronze in 1:06.66, narrowly beating Josh Hollamby at the finish.

Farnan also took the title in the 14-15 category, while Dowty finished with silver and Jack Marshall earned bronze, alongside Dylan Larrosa and Jacob Craine capturing the silver and bronze in the 16-and-over segment respectively.

The women’s 200IM witnessed an exhilarating contest between Curphey and Neuwirt, with Curphey narrowly clinching victory in 2:34.15 over Neuwirt’s 2:35.04, while 13-year-old Olivia Williamson showcased a remarkable final 50m free, finishing at 2:44.34 to take bronze.

The 200m freestyle marked the 2024 championships debut for Joel Watterson, whose impeccable stroke technique allowed him to record the two fastest times of the day, concluding with a winning time of 1:51.66 in the final and 1:52.46 in the heats.

His cousin, Kieran Watterson, earned silver with a finish of 2:00.16, while Zack Bellhouse captured bronze in 2:04.96.

This event showcased a vast and competitive lineup, with notable mentions going to nine-year-olds Oliver Maddrell of Ramseian and Joey Rogers of Douglas, as well as 10-year-old Douglas teammate Joe Wardle.

Hailey Henrico achieved her second gold medal of the championships by winning the 11-and-under 100m butterfly.

Within the 12-13 age bracket, Olivia Williamson again proved her dominance, timing a new personal best of 1:19.67 to clinch gold. The contest for silver was intense, with Peel’s Elizabeth Taylor narrowly defeating Jorja Hedley of Southern for second place.

The 14-15 age division showcased an exhilarating competition between Island Games athletes Libby Curphey and Lauren Dennett. Curphey took victory with a time of 1:11.23, closely followed by Dennett in 1:11.77. Sophie Christian registered an impressive personal best of 1:18.09, securing bronze.

Curphey and Dennett emerged as the top two swimmers overall, finishing first and second in the Super final, while Tilly Bird-McGowan claimed third with the 16-and-over gold in 1:14.70. Ellie Johnson achieved silver in the 16-and-over, with Megan Cowley finishing with bronze.

The men’s 50m breaststroke concluded the day with the last individual event.

Oscar Garczynski snatched his third gold of the day in the 11-and-under division, clocking in an impressive 42.50s, finishing four seconds ahead of silver medalist Thomas McEvoy, with Henry Mackenzie taking home bronze.

In the 12-13 age group, older brother Jacob Garczynski took the gold with a swift time of 33.81, marginally faster than his heat time of 33.59, which secured him the 13th position in the British rankings. Eli Birchenough secured the silver medal, and Callum Leslie finished with bronze.

In the 14-15 age category, Jamie Farnan seized gold with an electrifying time of 32.86, outpacing Josh Hollamby, who earned silver, and Harvey Barrow, who claimed bronze.

Harry Robinson excelled in the 16-and-over and super final, delivering an outstanding breaststroke performance with a timing of precisely 30 seconds for the gold honor. Jacob Brookes took home silver at 31.55, while Zack Bellhouse completed the podium with bronze in 31.84.

The girls’ 200-meter medley relay for secondary institutions rounded off the morning segment, seeing St Ninian’s High School achieving gold, followed by QEII for silver and Castle Rushen High School for bronze.

The evening segment concluded spectacularly with two exhilarating relay events that kept the audience captivated.

In the women’s 200m freestyle relay, Peel showcased their strength to clinch gold, with Southern finishing in silver and Ramseian claiming bronze.

– Coverage of the remaining Isle of Man Championships events will be highlighted in subsequent editions.