08 Oct 2025

Event Overview

Across 3rd - 5th October, WCSC once again hosted the Autumn Qualifier, a short-course Level 2 meet attracting 45 clubs from across the south of England and beyond and over 800 entries. The event was a resounding success, showcasing one of the highest levels of competition yet at our home pool.

Highlights

The meet drew several outstanding teams, including Mount Kelly, who brought members of their World Junior squad. Among them were:

- Abdul Adama, the first Nigerian swimmer ever to win a medal at a major international games, and;

- Mantas Kauspedas, a Lithuanian backstroke specialist who finished 11th at the World Short Course Championships in 2024.

Their participation added an exceptional international standard to the competition and served as valuable inspiration for all athletes competing.

Winchester Performance

It was a great experience for our swimmers to compete against such a high calibre of opposition. The Winchester swimmers did themselves and their coaches proud, delivering superb performances across a range of events.

WCSC was represented by a strong team of 63 swimmers, who combined for 291 swims, achieving an impressive 153 personal best times. This is particularly noteworthy considering most athletes had recently competed at the club championships.

In total, Winchester came away with 42 medals, including:

17 Golds | 13 Silvers | 12 Bronzes

These results reflect the dedication, skill, and hard work of both the swimmers and their coaching team.

The atmosphere on poolside was buzzing, and feedback from visiting teams was overwhelmingly positive. The balcony was full of spectators, creating an electric environment for the swimmers.

A special moment occurred on the last day when Edie Price of Mount Kelly swam the 400m freestyle in a time of 4:52, bringing the whole school to cheer her on poolside. The real twist: she swam the entire 400m in butterfly, astonishing everyone present! Moments like this added excitement and inspiration, and might even spark ideas for fun events in future club championships!!

The event could not have taken place without the incredible support of our Open Meets team, volunteers, and officials. We greatly appreciate the commitment and effort involved in running a successful meet of this scale.

Looking Ahead

We hope to share the workload for future meets, and encourage any help, big or small, from club members. Even a small contribution allows our volunteers and officials to enjoy a well-earned respite while continuing to deliver high-quality events.

The Autumn Qualifier 2025 was a resounding success, demonstrating the strength of Winchester’s competitive programme and the dedication of our swimmers, coaches, volunteers, and officials.

The Winchester team were an absolute credit to the club, polite, positive, and focused with a great team ethic, with swimmers cheering each other on. The medals came across all disciplines and distances, with success from juniors through to senior competitors. Finally a massive thank you to Chris and his coaching team - the hard hours on poolside and developing a progressive program is really paying off and bodes well for the future of our swimming club.

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