Some of the Isle of Man’s top swimming talent graced the North West Winter Regionals at the Manchester Aquatics Centre recently.

The Manx contingent got off to a superb start, with breaststroker Alex Turnbull setting the tone in the men’s 200 metres with an electrifying performance, slashing four seconds off his personal best to qualify for the senior final with a time of two minutes 28.92 seconds.

Fellow breaststroker Chloe Batty also got off to a superb start, clocking 34.74s in the 16-and-under 50m breaststroke to secure her spot in the final.

Libby Curphey made it a hat-trick of final qualifications from three Manx swims, joining the party with a stellar effort in the 200m backstroke where she shaved a full second off her lifetime best, stopping the clock at 2:24.77.

The finals session was equally successful for the Isle of Man swimmers, with standout performances across the board. Starting the session on a high, Turnbull delivered a remarkable men’s 200m breaststroke final swim.

Climbing an impressive three places from his qualifying position, he secured a formidable fifth place overall and his time of 2:25.88 was a massive personal best.

In the 16-and-under 50 breaststroke final, Chloe Batty swam well to improve on her morning time by one 10th of a second and two places to 34.64 and sixth, while Libby Curphey consolidated her morning swim with another good swim for a sixth-place finish. Both Batty and Curphey were delighted to also achieve Island Games consideration times in their respective finals.

Curphey continued her fine form in the afternoon session, qualifying for the 50m backstroke final in eighth place, clocking 30.92 - just shy of her lifetime best.

In the final, Curphey elevated her performance once again, moving up to seventh place and setting a new lifetime best of 30.42 (another Island Games consideration time).

Alex Turnbull showcased his sprinting talent in the 50m freestyle, clocking a swift 24.20 to qualify for the final as the fourth-fastest swimmer in a stacked field, headed by City of Manchester's Commonwealth Games star Jamie Ingram.

Meanwhile, Dylan Larrosa delivered a strong performance in the 16-and-under category, stopping the clock at 25.59. His time earned him ninth place overall, placing him first reserve for the final.

Lauren Dennett was not daunted by her demanding schedule, requiring her to tackle both the 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle within only 15 minutes. Despite the tight turnaround, Dennett rose to the challenge, qualifying for the junior 200m freestyle finale.

In the final, Dennett executed a revised race plan to perfection and secured eighth place. With another year remaining in this age group, the experienced Dennett is one to watch and surely has a medal chance in the 2025 Winter Regionals. The resilient Dennett also went on to place ninth in the junior 400m freestyle in 4.36.

Keira Prentice, now swimming for City of Manchester, took a fantastic fourth place in the senior class. Prentice touched the wall in 4.32.55, an Island Games consideration time, as was Dennett’s – meaning the 400m freestyle should be a strong event for the Manx team in Orkney next year, as the pair push each other on to faster times.

Alex Turnbull delivered a sensational performance in the 50m freestyle final, racing alongside Ingram. Clearly inspired by the high-calibre competition, Turnbull smashed through the 24-second barrier, recording a blistering 23.90.

The swim earned Turnbull the silver medal, an Island Games consideration standard, and a new lifetime best to cap a fantastic day’s swimming for the Utmost Wealth-sponsored Isle of Man Swimming Club athletes.

Winter championships

There was also Manx representation in the West Midlands Winter Championships, with Charlie Foster swimming a personal best of 1m 0.5s for the 100m backstroke, knocking 0.7 of a second of a second off his PB.

In doing so, he achieved a ‘B’ standard for the Orkney Island Games, to add to the ‘B’ standard he swam in the 200m backstroke the previous weekend competing in Wolverhampton.

Meanwhile at the South-West Winter Championships, Ella Justice had an incredible day also in the 100m backstroke, where she won the senior gold in 59.88, breaking the Manx record twice in a day both in the heats and the final.

Justice is understood not to be aiming for Orkney but is likely to make herself available for selection for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2026.

A report on the second day of the Winter Regionals will be published in a future edition.

VANESSA CHRISTIAN