A QUARTET of Denbigh swimmers have proved that they are among the best competitors in Britain.

A number of Denbigh Dragons swimmers recently competed in the Rotherham Metro Long Course Meet.

This was the first gala of the new year for the Denbigh Dragons, who took the team to Sheffield and the Pond’s Forge International Sports Centre.

The venue saw a fantastic result for swimmers from the Denbighshire development team in September, and hopes were high once more for a talented group of 26 swimmers, once again led by head coach Justin Jones, this time wearing his Denbigh Dragons hat.

The event was the Rotherham Metro A and B grade long course meet, with races taking place over two days in the Olympic-sized 50-metre pool.

Running up to this gala, there was a keen focus on process in training. Racing starts, finishes and turns were practised in order to hone the skills required to race quickly.

Personal best times were not the main target for this gala, although some sensational new times were posted.

Gleb Yablokov, Sian Evans, Ewan Leonard and Flora Jones all achieved times which elevated them into the top-20 in Britain, with numerous racers achieving Welsh top-20 status.

A wide range of events were attempted, with a haul of 15 gold medals, 20 silver and 18 bronze.

Sian Evans and Gleb Yablokov posted times that were just too quick for medals, garnering speeding tickets instead!

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend of high quality, high speed racing.

Meanwhile, another Denbigh Dragon was proudly representing the club at his first Welsh National Para Performance squad training session.

Gruff Crowther made the long trip to Swansea to train alongside the best of Welsh para swimming talent in the national pool and he came away with a wealth of valuable experience.