Sheffield meet brings Golds & National Times
30 Apr 2012
Top Sheffield meet brings Swimming Gold and National Times for Pugh.
It was last year that Pershore swimmer Tazmin Pugh became the first from the club to compete in the National Age Group Championships in just the one event. At the weekend in one of the UK's top level meet at the Sheffield's International 50m long course (LC) pool Pugh was competing to try to secure a few more National Age Group Qualifying times (NAGQT) to add to the two short course (25m pool) she secured at the County Championships in March.
Her first event was the 200m Backstroke where she already had a short course NAGQT from a 25m pool but wanted to consolidate in a 50m pool to offer her a better heat in the National Age Group Champs. The NAGQT she had to beat was 2:34.32 and with her winning her heat in a time of 2:32.93 plotted her first National time of the weekend and indeed her first gold medal in the 12 year old age group.
Her second swim of the day came in the 50m Backstroke with her previous LC best being 35.00 Pugh swam to victory and her first gold medal of the meet in a superb new pb of 32.73 and climb to 5th in the UK end of year rankings. It was a similar story in the first of the afternoon's events in the 50m Fly which like the Backstroke not part of the National Age Age Group Champs in July would give Pugh a chance to record a new long course ranking. Pugh won the event with ease in a superb new personal best time (pb) of 31.81 climbing to 3rd in the UK end of year 12 year old girls rankings.
In her last event on the first day Pugh had a job on her hands to try to improve by 8 seconds in the 200m Freestyle to make the NAGQT of 2:16.88 but she made a valiant effort coming up with new strategy to try by going out steady and building up to storm the final 50m length. It worked in that Pugh won her heat in fine style to record a new pb of 2:19.13 and although just 2.25 seconds short of the NAGQT Pugh improved her UK rankings to 7th and taking a well deserved bronze medal.
First event of the second day was the 100m Freestyle where Pugh already had a short course NAGQT but wanted to improve it to long course eventually coming up just over two tenths short with 1:03.90. Next up was the 100m Backstroke where a fine pb of 1:10.44 gave her a third NAGQT and another gold medal in addition to climbing to 3rd in the UK rankings. Improving by over 5 seconds on her 200m Individual Medley time with 2:39.20 set Pugh up for the afternoon's first session winning Gold in the 100m Fly in a new long course pb time (an improvement of 4 seconds) of 1:10.16 and more importantly over 1 second within the NAGQT making it her fourth of the season so far climbing to 5th in the UK.
It was a conclusion to a thoroughly successful weekend for
Pugh who's next important test comes in four weeks time at the Midlands Age
Group Championships where she will be endeavouring to consolidate and secure
more National times amidst stiff competition coming from the elite 'City' clubs
in Birmingham, Coventry, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln and Northampton many
gaining from four times the swim time available at their Leisure Centres.
It was last year that Pershore
swimmer Tazmin Pugh became the first from the club to compete in the National
Age Group Championships but in just the one event where she finished 10thin the UK. At the weekend in one of the
UK's top level meet at the Sheffield's International 50m long course (LC) pool Pugh
was competing to try to secure a few more National Age Group Qualifying times
(NAGQT) to add to the two short course
(25m pool) she secured at the County Championships in March. Her first event was the 200m
Backstroke where she already had a short course NAGQT from a 25m pool but
wanted to consolidate in a 50m pool to offer her a better heat in the National Age
Group Champs. The NAGQT she had to beat
was 2:34.32 and with her winning her heat in a time of 2:32.93 plotted her
first National time of the weekend and indeed her first gold medal in the 12
year old age group climbing to 3rd in the UK end of year rankings for 12 year
old girls . Her second swim of the day came in
the 50m Backstroke with her previous LC best being 35.00 Pugh swam to victory
and her first gold medal of the meet in a superb new pb of 32.73 and climb to 1stin the UK with approximately 1,000
competing in the 12 yr age group . It was a similar story in the first of the
afternoon's events in the 50m Fly which like the Backstroke not part of the
National Age Age Group Champs in July would give Pugh a chance to record a new
long course ranking. Pugh won the event
with ease in a superb new personal best time (pb) of 31.81 climbing to 3rdin the UK
rankings. In her last event on the first day Pugh
had a job on her hands to try to improve by 8 seconds in the 200m Freestyle to
make the NAGQT of 2:16.88 but she made a valiant effort coming up with new
strategy to try by going out steady and building up to storm the final 50m
length. It worked in that Pugh won her
heat in fine style to record a new pb of 2:19.13 and although just 2.25 seconds
short of the NAGQT Pugh improved her UK rankings to 7th and
taking a well deserved bronze medal. First event of the second day was
the 100m Freestyle where Pugh already had a short course NAGQT but wanted to improve
it to long course eventually coming up just over two tenths short with 1:03.90
but still climbing to 6th in the UK. Next up was the 100m Backstroke where a fine
pb of 1:10.44 gave her a third NAGQT and another gold medal in addition to
climbing to 4th in the UK
rankings. Improving by over 5 seconds on her 200m
Individual Medley time with 2:39.20 set Pugh up for the afternoon's first
session winning Gold in the 100m Fly in a new long course pb time (an
improvement of 4 seconds) of 1:10.16 and more importantly over 1 second within the
NAGQT making it her fourth of the season so far climbing to 5th in
the UK. To crown a thoroughly successful
weekend Pugh was announced as the runner up from amongst the sixty six 12 year
old girls competing scoring 2,701, the winner setting 2,744 and 3rdplace 2,580. This is calculated from the best FINA points from each of the
swimming categories of sprint; freestyle; form (200m back, breast or fly); 100m
and Individual Medley. Pugh's next important test comes in four weeks time at
the Midlands Age Group Championships where she will be endeavouring to
consolidate and secure more National times amidst stiff competition coming from
the elite 'City' clubs in Birmingham, Coventry, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester,
Lincoln and Northampton many gaining from four times the swim time available at
their Leisure Centres.
Ian