Ollie and Frida rule the pool - A KKSC Update

The 2025 Kingsbridge Kingfishers Swimming Club Championships have concluded at Quayside Leisure Centre after 2 weeks of fun, fast racing.

The competition was as large as it has been for many years, with approximately 100 local swimmers entering the contest. 

Athletes had the chance to enter every swimming event, from the 50m sprints to the hardest distance races including 200m Butterfly, 400m Individual Medley and 1500m Freestyle. 

Race times are then ranked by age group, and trophies awarded to the top points scorer across all events.

The club’s youngest swimmers aged 8 and under raced each stroke over only 25 metres, with Torin Thomson and Grace Baxter becoming club champions. Grace did so in spectacular fashion, claiming club records in the 25m Freestyle and 25m Butterfly.

Emily Baxter (10), Luna Browne (9) and Isabel Wood (13) were the highest points scorers out of all the girls, also becoming club champions. In Luna’s case, this was her first club title. 

The 11 year old girls was arguably the most exciting contest of all, with Lottie Taylor only beating Layla Quiggin by 3 points to win her 3rd consecutive club championship.

More girls winning titles were Emilia McKinlay (12), Lexie Gomm (14) and Hana Wood (15+).

For the boys, James Laban is the champion local swimmer out of the 9 year olds. The only swimmer to score a maximum number of points - boy or girl - was George Stone (12) who claimed his first ever championship.

A brilliant contest between Freddie Stathers (10) and Diego Clark saw Freddie come out on top by just 2 points. This was thanks to entering the long distance events on a Friday evening! KKSC is lucky to have two such strong swimmers in the same age group. 

They will both be amongst the best at the upcoming Devon County Championships in January.

Also winning were Harry Freeborn (11), Daniel Carrick (13), Lucas Quiggin (14), Danny Clack (15) and Ethan Clack (16+).

The 2025 Club Championships were sponsored by Heat-Tec Heating & Plumbing, who are currently accepting new clients locally. KKSC is also grateful to the vast numbers of volunteers who helped the event run so smoothly.

On the final night of action, the Freestyle Skins competition is always the event to watch. This is an elimination race over a series of 50m Freestyle races, with the 5 fastest qualifiers aged 18 or under whittled down to just 2, who then face off for the title.

Prize money can be won for the Skins, thanks to the sponsorship of local businesses Cafe Asia and Go B2B.

This year, the female Skins champion was Frida Gallego-Cooper, who beat Hana Wood in the final. This was Frida’s first title after joining KKSC from another club earlier in the year.

The male Skins champion was also a first-timer, with Oliver McKinlay defeating the 2024 champion Ethan Clack in the final. Their titles confirm Ollie and Frida as the fastest junior swimmers in our local area.

Kingfishers’ next event is the Plymouth Christmas Splash, which begins on Sunday 7th December at Plymouth Life Centre, and acts as a last chance qualifier to the County Championships in January.