KIERAN Bird and Tom Thornley were warned not to sit back on their laurels after producing personal best performances at the British Championships in Glasgow.
Competing against swimmers aiming to qualify for the Rio Olympics, the 16-year-olds underlined their promise with super times in the multiple events competition.
After some tough heats against outstanding competition, Bird qualified for two ‘Target Tokyo’ finals.
In the 400m freestyle he achieved a pb of 3mins 59.25secs.
He also qualified for the 200m butterfly and swam a fantastic time of 2.04.90. The competition was tight but he performed outstandingly.
Thornley could be equally proud of his achievements.
He qualified for the men’s junior 100m and 200m backstroke events.
In the shorter race, he swam strongly for a time of 58.30 and he excelled again in the 200m.
Having already achieved a pb in the heats, he raced to a stunning third place with yet another best of 2.05.95.
In an exciting sprint to the finish, there was less than a second between first and third place.
Commenting on the two rising stars, Bicester’s head coach Craig Oliver said: “Kieran and Tom are tremendous swimmers.
“To qualify be part of an event full of household names is a fabulous achievement and both boys should be very proud of their results and great PBs.
“But they are still hungry for more this summer.
“It’s now time to put in the extra work to achieve the desired performances at the end of the season.”
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