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Royal Air Force News Friday, May 20, 2022 P29
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Sport
Email: sports@rafnews.co.uk
Large pool of talent
SWIMMING
Rookies impress at Swim Champs NEWCOMERS SHOWED the old hands they won’t be having it all their own way this year at the RAF Swimming and Water Polo Championships at RAF Cranwell, the first since the Covid pandemic began. Sixteen units were represented in the tournament overall as the athletes battled it out in the pool, with Coningsby beating Wyton 11-3 to take the honours in the water polo final. In the swimming competition rookies had a good showing, with RAF Cosford’s LAC Phoebe Finch taking two golds: in the 50m
BACK WITH A SPLASH: Championship returned after Covid hiatus
Butterfly and 100m Freestyle. She also narrowly missed out in the 50m Freestyle, collecting silver.
Also excelling was newcomer SAC Luke Williams of Odiham, who beat a current RAF Inter-
Services squad member to take first place in the 400m Freestyle in an impressive time. But there were many successes for established swimming association squad members too. Leading the way was Cpl Beth Newton of Halton winning golds in the 50m and 100m Backstroke and 200m Freestyle. Also on three firsts was fellow association athlete Sgt Jordon Youngman of Odiham, who powered to victory in the 50m and 100m Freestyle and 100m Individual Medley. On the team front, RAF
Waddington’s men led the way, taking first place, while RAF Wyton (including Brampton and Henlow) claimed the women’s crown. The championship overall was won by RAF Wyton, deservedly taking the Mounsey Trophy. Sqn Ldr Trevor Down (Deputy Chairman RAFSA) and Ms Niki Graske (RAF Central Fund) presented the medals and Gp Capt Anne-Marie Houghton led the officials. New players spotted at the water polo event could now feature in the sport’s Inter-Services competition in July.
ATHLETICS
We're going to be in it for the long run THE 10K GREAT Birmingham Run was a little greater than expected for some RAF athletes… it ended up being nearer 11k. The Service runners were taking part in the famous race as a training exercise, but they got more than they bargained for after a route blunder by organisers. It started and finished on Jennens Road and the Aston University Campus Charity Village, with RAF, Army and Navy athletes taking up a number of free places arranged by Sqn Ldr Simon Bell.
The race gave an opportunity for people who would not normally get selected for the Inter-Services to run a big race with a field of 5,000 and access to the ‘Elite’ end of the field. The course takes runners past the Bullring, Edgbaston Cricket Ground and Calthorpe Park, before a grandstand city centre finish. Unfortunately, confusion on the course led to many taking a route more than 600m longer than intended. SAC Simon Birch led the way
for the RAF, staying on track and finishing an outstanding 3rd place in 31:19, with Cpl Iain Bailey (Vet 40) in 6th with 33:57. SAC Phillipa Baxter was one who ran the extra distance but went through 10km in a personal best of 38:50. The other leading RAF athletes were: 19th Cpl Conor Pacey 34:52, 20th Flt Lt Stephen Iwanek 34:52, 21st FS Matt Allen (Vet 40) 34:56, 23rd Sgt Greg Southern (Vet 50) 35:00 RAF, 33rd Flt Lt Alasdair Stewart 35:57 and 60th LAC Martin Fraser (U23) 40:13.
GOOD SHOWING: RAF athletes
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