Local coaches say they were delighted by the performances of their swimmers at the recent Winter Age Group Championships at the BASA pool.

Ben Smith, Barry Hanson and Richard Goodwin – coaches of the Sharks, Dolphins and Harbour clubs respectively – were all on hand to witness the three days of competitiion.

"I was really happy with the results of the Sharks swimmers", said Smith. "Almost every swimmer that entered had at least one personal best in the meet, which was well attended. The fast swimming was very encouraging for this time of year when the weather can be a factor.

"The swimmers were challenged by the distance of the events but were all very focused on bettering their times."

With the meet being the last competition for the calendar, 150 swimmers from all age groups including our two-time Olympian Kiera Aitken, battled Mother Nature to clock some impressive times.

Aitken set a new Bermuda record in the 200 metres butterfly, clocking two minutes, 23.83 seconds, bettering Mary Mowbray's record dating back to 1984.

Mowbray was on hand to witness the occasion.

Also making a splash was Mitchell Gariepy who set a new mark in the 200 metres Individual Medley with a time of 3:02.40, lowering by three seconds the 9-10 age group record of Nick Thomson set back in 2002.

Emma Harvey also bettered her own record in the eight and under 50 metres butterfly with a a time of 46.87.

Coach Hanson said he was pleased with the performances of all swimmers.

"At our club level, we had strong performances from our junior swimmers with Megan Lau a standout. The senior swimmers continue to improve. Our club had the most personal bests of any meet to date."

Referring to Barcelona-based Aitken, Hanson added: "She's a fine example of what swimming can produce – modest, dedicated and a thoroughly pleasant human being.

"The entire swimming community should look forward to further success in the meets next year.

"From a Harbour perspective, I was very pleased to see our younger swimmers swimming so well, especially our eight and under girls who swept all three places in that age group."