THREE swimmers from Settle Stingrays Swimming Club have recently qualified for the Yorkshire Championships, held over three weekends in Leeds and Sheffield.

Previous age group 50m butterfly and breaststroke champion, Keelan Behan, competed in his first open age group championships (17 and over) in three events. His experience shone through as he put in solid performances for each event.

Robert Shuttleworth competed in the 12-year-old boys 50m butterfly in his first county championships; he was rewarded with a very well-deserved PB and valuable experience of competing in a large venue. Bailey Graham - competing in the 11-year-old girls age group - qualified for an astonishing ten events over the three weekends, smashing all her previous best times. In Leeds, Bailey achieved an impressive 15th place in both 100m breaststroke and 100m freestyle.

She topped this with an 11th place reserve finalist position in 200m breaststroke and a superb 7th place finish in the 100m backstroke. However, it was in Sheffield, at the 50m sprint events, that Bailey took her success to new heights: she achieved a reserve finalist place in 50m butterfly and qualified for three other finals, ultimately finishing in 7th place for 50m freestyle and 4th place in 50m breaststroke. A superb performance in the 50m backstroke heats put Bailey into the final as the fastest qualifier in her age group, also achieving a north-east regional championship time.

Showing her mettle, she fought hard in very close race to take the gold and become the 11-year-old girls 50m backstroke Yorkshire champion. Head coach, Anna Behan, said: “Settle Stingrays is a very small swimming club, with limited training facilities and water time. To have swimmers achieving county and regional times is a fantastic achievement. I’m incredibly proud of all our hard-working swimmers; I’m sure they will be rewarded with more success in the future.”