Isle of Man competitors enjoyed a successful trip to the 2026 Lancashire County Swimming Championships in Manchester recently.

The Manx swimmers in the women’s 400m freestyle opened the first morning session of the Utmost Wealth-sponsored Isle of Man Swimming Club’s campaign in superb style, recording three lifetime bests from three swims.

Hailey Henrico and sisters Megan and Olivia Williamson all produced outstanding performances, with the elder Williamson knocking more than eight seconds off her personal best to post a rapid four minutes 54.68 seconds.

Henrico also impressed, placing a fine seventh in a similarly swift 5:07.50, with Megan finishing only four places and seven seconds behind her.

The men’s 100m freestyle had seen a promising number of Manx swimmers meet the demanding standard in the qualifying window, while a healthy number of those qualifiers made finals on the day, with fast swimming across the age groups.

In the 10 to 11 age group, Barney McGowan and Oliver Maddrell both produced huge eight-second personal bests to reach the final.

The latter Maddrell delivered an outstanding swim, qualifying in second place for the age 14 final with a rapid 57.89, ably supported by Eli Birchenough in seventh.

Magnus Kelly became the fifth Isle of Man finalist, securing a place in the senior (17 and over) final with a blistering time of 53.90 seconds.

Ed Pearson was unlucky to miss out, finishing first reserve for the age-15 final with a smooth sub 60-second swim.

Personal bests were the order of the day throughout the Isle of Man team with Evan Rowlands and Jacob Wright (12s), Oscar Garzczynski (13s) and Charlie Larossa, Charley Bevan, Jacob Garzczynski, and Carter Kneale (14–15s) all shining.

There were several sub 60-second senior swims including from Jamie Farnan (59.99 in the age 16 class), Dylan Larrosa (57.71) and Zack Bellhouse (55.49) - in addition to those of Pearson, Kelly and Maddrell, while Jacob Brooks was also only narrowly over this mark.

Oscar Maddrell continued to dominate in the 200m individual medley where he struck gold, lowering his lifetime best to a rapid new mark of two minutes and 26.60 seconds.

The event was a strong one for the Manx overall, with Jamie Farnan claiming bronze in the age-16s despite being a few seconds outside his PB, while Oscar Garzczynski’s 24-second reduction in this personal best was the standout swim from the younger contingent.

There were some excellent first-time off island swims in the women’s 50m breaststroke. Lola Quirk set a superb long-course standard of 49.86 seconds in the 10/11s, while fellow debutant Nia Littlejohns clocked a solid 44.54 in the age 12s.

The times dropped quickly in the age 13s with two eye-catching swims - Autumn Lily Redmayne produced a cracking 40.99 just behind Hailey Henrico’s new PB of 40.44, while Megan Williamson also recorded her second personal best of the day in the same age group.

Island Games swimmer Neuwirt – who won gold and silver in Orkney last summer - swam a controlled heat to qualify third for the age-16 final, while Ellie Johnson was delighted to speed down the length of the pool to a new PB, qualifying sixth for the senior (17 and over) final.

Both swimmers later went on to finish fourth in their respective finals, narrowly missing out on medals but improving on their morning times, with Johnson in particular thrilled with her new half-second lifetime best of 36.42.

In the finals session, the Maddrells were to the fore again. Oliver claimed a fine fifth place in the 100 free 10/11 final, backed up by another lifetime best from Barney McGowan in sixth - excellent racing and invaluable experience for both youngsters.

Inevitably, Oscar Maddrell went on to take a superb silver medal, clocking a time only marginally outside his morning PB, with Eli Birchenough securing eighth place.

Magnus Kelly rounded off the 100m freestyle swims with a stunning lifetime best of 53.00 to secure another bronze for the Manx medal haul.

After only a brief rest, Maddrell returned for the 800m freestyle. The in-form swimmer claimed what proved to be a comfortable gold medal, setting a new long course personal best by an impressive 16 seconds.

Maddrell’s time of eight minutes and 56.45 seconds not only secured gold and a new junior Manx record but also saw him finish an astonishing 30 seconds clear of second place.

This concluded a highly successful first morning of competition for the Utmost Wealth-sponsored Isle of Man Swimming Club.

Hopes remained high among the hardworking Manx camp of swimmers, team managers and national head coach Lee Holland’s team of coaches for the remaining sessions of the weekend.

Thanks as always are extended to Utmost Wealth for its continued and invaluable support.

- Reports from the other sessions at the 2026 Lancashire County Swimming Championships will appear in future editions of the Isle of Man Examiner and Manx Independent.

- For more information about Isle of Man Swimming, visit the association’s official website which can be found at https://www.iomswimming.com/

Alternatively, follow the ‘Isle of Man Swimming’ page on Facebook.

VANESSA CHRISTIAN

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