An Isle of Man Swimming Club team competed at the prestigious Edinburgh International meet recently. 

The event featured British swimming stars of the calibre of Duncan Scott, Angharad Evans and Freya Colbert, all gunning for places on the Olympic team.  

The meet highlight for the Utmost International-sponsored Manx team was undoubtedly Alex Turnbull breaking the island record for the 50 metres breaststroke record in both his heat and final swims, taking a second and a half off his lifetime best in doing so.  

A storming heats swim saw Turnbull clock 29.41 seconds, only to improve further to 29.26 in the final. Turnbull finished 11th overall, an incredible result in a field headed by Commonwealth Games and European champion James Wilby.  

In-form swimmer Peter Allen had a fantastic 200 freestyle, knocking a second and a half of his lifetime best down to rapid 1:55.42. His 2:09.60 200m butterfly heats swim saw him qualify for the B final where he went a second and a half faster to record a speedy 2:08.09, only just outside his Manx record and enough for an outstanding 12th overall.  

To round off a great weekend in style, Allen clocked a big lifetime best in the 100m freestyle, lowering it down to an impressive 52.67s.  

Twenty-year-old Harry Robinson claimed a fantastic 24th place in both the 50m butterfly in 25.50 and the 50m freestyle in 23.81 in what were large high-quality fields.  

Robinson also clocked a speedy 52.81 in the 100m freestyle where there was a strong entry of more than 80 swimmers.  

Also in the 100m free, Joel Watterson had a great heats swim to qualify for the final. Always one to rise to the occasion, in the final he improved further to a rapid 51.60 for 13th overall.  

With Robinson, Allen, Watterson and several more coming up behind them, the island’s strength in depth in the male 100m free is truly exceptional and bodes well for the next Island Games.  

Watterson had a busy few days, also taking 20th in the 50m fly, 22nd in the 50m free and 23rd in the 100m fly to box off his usual consistent set of quality results.  

Some of the island’s budding senior stars were also in action, namely 2023 Island Games debutants Chloe Batty, Lauren Dennett and Libby Curphey.  

All these swimmers are still 16 and under, therefore were principally there to gain experience of a large international meet. But true to form, all three talented and hard-working swimmers performed beyond expectations.  

Batty was not at all overawed by the occasion and clocked a rapid 28.52 in the 50m freestyle, just outside her lifetime best, to finish 19th fastest junior- a fantastic feat with another couple of years in this age group.  

Batty went on to record a super-swift new lifetime best in the 50m breast, clocking 35.56, enough for a superb 39th overall.  

Fifteen-year-old Libby Curphey swam the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke metres events and had some great swims, including an exceptional 10th place finish in the junior 50m back in a swift 32.24.  

Curphey also had outstanding swims in the 100m and 200m back, placing 27th and 24th junior respectively.  

Fourteen-year-old Lauren Dennett recorded some stellar results in the freestyle events, including 400m free where a lifetime best of 4:36.09 saw her finish a fantastic seventh junior.  

In the 200m free, Dennett powered her way to big new PB of 2:10.20 to place 10th junior and followed it up with a great 1,500m freestyle swim.  

Kieran Watterson was another junior to impress, particularly in the 200 back, where he qualified for the junior final.  

Watterson upped his game again in the final, clocking 2:14.83 to take a very impressive ninth. He was also 16th in the junior 50 back, only a tenth outside his lifetime best, as well 17th in the 100 back.  

The Manx team would like to thank national head coach Lee Holland and team managers David Batty and Emily Curphey for their support. 

VANESSA CHRISTIAN