Gateshead’s answer to Michael Phelps

Gateshead and Whickham Swimming Club is celebrating its best ever performance at the recent North East Region Age Group Short Course Championships. The Club won 23 medals and finished third overall behind City of Bradford and Borough of Stockton

Star of the team was twelve year old Ryan Zhao. Ryan won nine gold medals, and a silver and a bronze for good measure. His gold medal haul was the most of any swimmer at the Championships.

Ryan was joined in his golden success by fellow twelve year age group swimmers, Ella Watson (50m butterfly) and Adam Barrett (400m freestyle). Two other Gateshead and Whickham swimmers, Jamie Young (12) and Jessica Cottee (11), won medals and five more finished in the top 10 of individual events.

The Club is also celebrating success in the Senior Championships with para athlete William Hardy winning three golds in the multi-disability classification in 50m and 100m breaststroke and 50m butterfly.

Head Coach Ken Nesworthy said “These young athletes show great dedication, training for many hours every week. It’s really pleasing to then see them perform at their best when it counts and achieve such a tremendous set of results against high quality opposition.”

Ryan and his fellow age group medallists will feature in Gateshead and Whickham’s thirty strong team of swimmers representing the North East this weekend in the national final of the Arena Junior Interleague.  This is the second year running the Club has qualified as one of the top eight teams in the country.

Club Chairman Andy Strickland commented “This fantastic medal haul by Ryan and his fellow team members, along with the repeated success in the national Interleague competition, shows how the hard work by coaches, parents and above all the swimmers, can pay off.”