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Local swimmers make golden splash at London Youth Games

A team of Richmond swimmers took hold home gold and bronze medals last week at the London Youth Games Paragames swimming tournament.

 

The games are Europe’s largest youth sports festival with pupils competing in 30 different sports. Athletes competing in the five Paragames sports of athletics, boccia, football, indoor rowing and swimming do so to add points to the overall Team Richmond standing.

The girls team swam away with the individual races. Mia Rampton set the tone with a powerful swim in the 50m freestyle finishing 23 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. Claudia Davey sprinted through the water to win the 25m Freestyle. Sasha Fulford-Brown (50m Backstroke) and Charlotte Taylor (50m Breaststroke) both swam for silver medals in their respective races and Eliza O’Sullivan won bronze in 25m Backstroke.

The girls then combined their speed and style in the pool to win silver in the 4x25m relay medley.  All of this gave them a gold team award.

The boys team picked up vital individual medals with Patrick Shelley and Robby Campbell-Arthur wining bronze in the 25m and 50m breastroke.

Success in the Paragames is not a new feeling for Richmond when in May the Boccia team was crowned both London and National champions. The recent Paragames success has been attributed in part to the Richmond Inclusive Sport and Exercise programme (RISE) where the swimmers have been training weekly at Teddington Pool.

Cllr John Coombs, Richmond Council Cabinet Member for Sports, said:

“Big congratulations to all those swimmers who took part! This is the first time we have taken home medals in the Paragames swimming tournament and we left with a handful!

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