On Friday, 29th November, five of us – Freddie, Sofia, Amaaya, Jude, and I from Years 4 to 6 proudly represented London South at the ISA Swimming Nationals after qualifying through OSG. Early that morning, Amaya and I travelled to the iconic London Aquatics Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the morning events.
The morning started with a warmup. When it was time for my first event, with butterflies in my stomach, I approached the starting blocks for the Year 5 Boys’ Individual Breaststroke race. Giving it my all, I achieved a personal best (PB) but narrowly missed a medal, finishing in 4th place. Next up was Amaaya in the Year 6 Girls’ Medley Relay, where she swam the freestyle leg. We cheered as loudly as we could, and our excitement soared as the team clinched a brilliant Gold! Congratulations to Amaaya and the London South team for an incredible achievement!
Later that morning, Jude arrived at the venue and boldly stepped in to complete the Boys’ Medley team, swimming the front crawl leg. It was another nail-biting event, and the team put in a fantastic effort, securing 5th place. The medley relays marked the end of the morning session.
After a short break, we were joined by Mrs. Cox who had accompanied Sofia and Freddie to the venue. The afternoon session began with Para swimming, leaving us all in awe of the incredible talent on display. Then came another nerve-wracking moment as I stepped up for my individual 50m Freestyle race. Pushing hard through the water, I gave it everything I had. When I hit the pads and looked up, I was stunned to see my name in 1st place! Winning a Gold and setting another PB was an unforgettable moment.
The individual races were followed by the freestyle relays. Freddie swam the second leg for the Year 4 Boys’ relay, helping his team secure 5th position—a fantastic effort. Sofia powered through the second leg of the Year 5 Girls’ relay, which Jude kicked off the first leg of Year 6 Boys’ relays, both finishing strong in 7th place against tough national competition.
When Amaaya swam the third leg in the Year 6 Girls’ Freestyle Relay, we screamed our lungs out, confident her team would reach the podium, but they narrowly missed out, finishing in 4th place. In the Year 5 Boys’ Relay, I swam the anchor leg, moving our team from 5th to 3rd position. Unfortunately, our team was disqualified due to an early takeover by one swimmer. While disappointing, it was a valuable learning experience for us all.
We are sincerely grateful to Mrs Evans and Mrs Cox, who gave up their weekends to prepare us for the event, coaching us in 50m pools and offering unwavering support on the day. From cheering us on to providing Percy Pig treats, they kept our morale high and guided us every step of the way. Huge thanks for all their support!
We are incredibly proud to see so many swimmers from a small school like ours make such a big contribution to a prestigious event like the ISA Nationals.
By Alec W, Year 5