16 November 2011
Adrian Au, Michael Esnouf, Nicholas Whitehead and Luke Teh are celebrating reaching the National Finals of the English Schools’ Swimming Association taking place in Southampton on 26 November. The four boys, all aged 15 and in the Fifth Year, qualified by winning the Oxfordshire trials and will compete against the 16 top schools in the country in the 4x50m freestyle and medley relays.
The boys are coached by Scott Farnell, who is in equally good form, winning a gold medal in the 50m breaststroke at the National Senior Age Group Championships on 30 October. Talking about the boys’ achievement Scott, who also coaches at Abingdon Vale Swimming Club, said "Qualifying for the National Finals came as no shock. I knew these boys were going to be something special when I started coaching at Abingdon School. The four talented individuals all played a significant role in the success of the team and we wish them the best of luck for Southampton."
The boys are training hard for the finals and are looking forward to the competition. Michael Esnouf, from Combe, said "I am pleased to have the opportunity to compete against the best schools in the country. I feel that we can improve on our qualifying times and threaten the top teams to be in with a chance for a medal for both events."
This is a tremendous result for Abingdon which only started competitive swimming in 2008 having opened its new indoor swimming pool as part of the School’s new sports centre.