Coventry school crowned swimming champions at major Catholic schools competition
Pupils at a Coventry primary school have retained the top prize at one of the largest school swimming competitions in the West Midlands.
A capacity crowd of parents, teachers and classmates watched on as 288 pupils from 16 Coventry schools raced for glory at the 2023 Catholic Schools Swimming Gala at Pingles Leisure Centre.
Split into East and West groups, boys and girls from years 4, 5 and 6 took part in 25m breaststroke, backstroke and front crawl sprints, 50m distance races and 3x25m relay heats during the morning session, with the highest scoring eight schools from across the morning qualifying for the finals – which included all three strokes as well as the 3x25m relays.
Sacred Heart Catholic School, which is part of the Romero Catholic Academy, capped a string of strong performances in the afternoon session with victory in the boys’ 3x25m relay final to secure first place by one point.
The school also claimed first place in the boys’ front crawl finals, second in the girls’ relay, as well as podium finishes in the girls’ front crawl and girls’ and boys’ backstroke.
Six other schools from the Romero Catholic Academy also competed, with Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School claiming second place with victories in the boys’ backstroke and breaststroke taking them one point shy of reigning champions Sacred Heart.
Kornel in year 5 said: “The whole school did really well, especially as it was the first time competing for some of us.”
Sophie in year 6 said: “Everyone should be really proud as it’s not easy competing in front of lots of people.”
Lily in year 4 added: “I found it quite hard but it’s a good life skill and I’m really glad I took part.”
Sophie Newman, PE Teacher at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, said: “It was incredible to see so many children getting into the spirit of the day and cheering their classmates on.
“Months of preparation and training has gone into the competition and we have been thoroughly impressed by the performances and commitment from across the 16 schools.
“We’re thrilled to have retained the title, but it’s mainly pleasing to see the how the competition has developed over the last few years with such a strong turnout this year, and we’re looking forward to next year’s event and other swimming opportunities at the school.”
