Woking Swimming Club’s masters swimmers claimed a world record and a number of British and European records at the 2024 Swim England Masters National Championships at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

The Woking Masters squad enjoyed success throughout the weekend, claiming seven British records, four European records, 24 gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals in varies events and age groups, and a world record.

The world record team of four, which consisted of swimmers ranging in age from 27 to 57, set a time of 3:42.80 in the 160+ mixed 4x100m freestyle.

Gina Heyn, Michelle Ware, Michael Hodgson and Henry Goodlud beat the previous world record by more than three seconds, with Heyn leading the team out in a European record 57.85 seconds.

Day one of racing in Sheffield started with the 1,500m freestyle, where Patrick Allen finished in the top ten of his age group.

Medals swiftly followed, with Jamie Cunningham, Hodgson, Heyn and Ware claiming gold in the 50m butterfly.

In the 100m breaststroke Goodlud swam a personal best to claim gold, Heyn swam a new British record, Hodgson won gold and Lynda Coggins won gold.

Strong swims from Alex Smith, Ware, Hodgson and Heyn resulted in a 4x50 mixed freestyle team gold medal, along with British and European records in the 160+ age category.

A 4x50 mixed freestyle relay medal was won by Max Freedman, Kieran Hodson Kilroy, Alice Reeves-Turner and Jennie Clarke in the 100+ age group.

Records fell to Woking in the 200m individual medley, where Goodlud claimed his first individual British record and Heyn took her first individual European record of the meet.

The 100m freestyle, in which Ware claimed a British record, Cunningham and Smith claimed gold, Hodgson silver and Barnaby Rudd a new personal best, wrapped up the first day of racing at Ponds Forge.

Day two of the championships started with a European record for Ware, David Bryant, Hodgson and Heyn in the 200+ 4x100 mixed medley relay.

Woking added to their collection of individual medals in the 50m breaststroke. Heyn came away with a British record alongside a gold medal, Goodlud won his third gold medal of the weekend and Coggins won a silver medal.

Another British record fell to Heyns in the 100m individual medley, with team-mates Ware and Coggins claiming medals.

Relay success continued into day two where the men’s 100+ and 200+ 4x50m freestyle team claimed silver, the men’s 4x100m freestyle team took bronze in a time under world record pace and the 4x50m mixed medley 160+ team conquered a British record, with Ware leading out in a new 50m backstroke European record.

The afternoon session saw Heyn, Ware, Smith and Hodgson take gold in the 50m freestyle, and Rudd swim his first sub 30 seconds in the event.

Bronze medals were won by Clarke and Coggins in the 100m backstroke.

Mark Tuddenham (gold) and Rudd (personal best) wrapped up the day’s racing with the 800m freestyle.

Woking’s masters dominated the pool on day three of racing – the men’s 100+ and 120+ teams secured bronze medals in the 4x50m medley and Coggins won silver in the 200 breaststroke.

Julie Howe won silver in the 400m individual medley.

Heyn won gold in the 400m freestyle and Rudd achieved a personal best.

By Catherine Ferguson