St Gabriel’s is celebrating the fantastic success of Year 7 pupil Declan, who has achieved outstanding results at his very first competitive swimming event.

Declan only began swimming in January this year, when he joined the Basingstoke Bluefins Swimming Club, and has been training four times per week as part of the County Development Squad since September. Despite being new to the sport, Declan has quickly shown remarkable talent and determination in the pool.

At the Basingstoke Bluefins Club Championships — an event attracting more than 380 swimmers aged 8–16 and held over three weekends — Declan competed for the first time on 28 September, taking part in four races. He impressed with personal best times in every event, securing an incredible set of medals:

• 50m Backstroke – Silver Medal (PB 40.49s)

• 200m Backstroke – Silver Medal (PB 3:17.22)

• 50m Butterfly – Silver Medal (PB 40.48s)

• 100m Freestyle – Gold Medal (PB 1:16.48)

These results mean that Declan has likely already achieved the automatic qualification times for the Hampshire County Championships, with confirmation of his place on the county team eagerly awaited.

Declan will return to the championships later this month to compete in the 400m Freestyle, 200m Medley, 100m Backstroke and 50m Breaststroke — an exciting opportunity to build on his early success.

We are immensely proud of Declan’s achievements so far and can’t wait to see how his swimming journey develops. With such commitment and passion, there’s no doubt he has a bright future in the sport!