Tornadoes duo head for Nationals (From Dorset Echo)

Tornadoes duo head for Nationals

9:19am Wednesday 10th March 2010 in

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TORNADOES of South Dorset heralded their return at the opening weekend of the Dorset Swimming Championships as 15-year-old Jay Lelliott and 14-year-old Tom Mules stepped up to join the South Dorset club’s 2010 top elite England national qualifiers.

Portland lad Elliott powered home in style, leaving all competitors in his wake in the 100m backstroke in a time of 1 minute 0.90 seconds.

Team-mate Mules shaved off more than two seconds in the 200m butterfly to qualify in 2:15.77 for the England National Age Groups in Sheffield.

Meanwhile, Thomas John produced a new County Championship age group record in the 100m breaststroke with a personal best time of 1:11.78.

Over the first two days of competition Tornadoes achieved 34 regional qualifying times and 91 personal best times – an improvement rate of 80 per cent.

The Age Group medal haul in two days totalled 64, consisting 26 gold, 19 silver and 19 bronze.

The number of Junior and Senior Group medals amounted to 21 (nine gold, eight silver and four bronze).

Head coach Phil Daniels said: “Each and every swimmer at Tornadoes has worked exceptionally hard over the last three months.

“Since my return to South Dorset at the end of November we have worked many hours on stroke technique, start, breakout, turns and finishes down to the very fine detail, then repeated and repeated the practices.

“They have also coped remarkably well with conditioning and the new coaching regime now firmly in place at South Dorset.

“Prior to this their confidence levels and their individual will to continue had simply dwindled to a very low ebb.

“Turning this around did inevitably produce a couple of minor casualties, but I am pleased to say the majority have pulled through, and now we are witnessing the start of their successes.

“However, we still have a long way to go yet at the Osprey Centre, Portland.

“Tornadoes need to rebuild in numbers and continue in their quality swimming training.

“I have always said that there is vast potential in the South Dorset area for age group swimmers who really wish to be on the right programme and reap the benefits.

“As an ASA coach, my opinion has not changed.”