Dover Life Guards’ Tommy Goldup broke a long-standing record at the club’s first gala of 2024.

Goldup, 16, won seven golds at the Icebreaker - in the 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, 50m, 200m and 400m freestyle and 50m and 200m butterfly. He broke the 200m freestyle event club record, which had stood since 1999, with a time of 2min00.24sec.

Overall, 63 swimmers took part in 291 races for Dover Life Guards, with the event hosted in conjunction with Herne Bay Swimming Club at Dover Leisure Centre.

The gala proved a great success for the Life Guards, who won more than 65 podium medals.

Swimmers throughout the club achieved many new personal-best times, too, and several achieved automatic qualification times for next month’s Kent County Championships.

Jerry Sykes, 20, came first in the 100m butterfly race while 19-year-old club captain Molly Lown gained gold in the 50m breaststroke.

Chloe Desiderio, 16, earned three first-place finishes in the 50m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 100m breaststroke, as Lewis Head came out on top of the pile in the 50m backstroke and 200m backstroke races.

Ed Williams, 14, won seven golds from the 200m backstroke, 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle, 50m and 100m butterfly and the 200m individual medley events. Also 14, Jack Manser came first in the 100m breaststroke category for his age.

Rosie Hollands, 12, came away with four golds for the 400m freestyle, 400m individual medley, 200m breaststroke and 100m breaststroke races. Fellow 12-year-old Verity Nicholas came top in both the 50m and 100m backstroke events.

Jessica Steed, 11, gained first places in the 11–12-year-old girls’ 50m butterfly and the 50m freestyle.

Ten-year-old Austin Husk achieved golds in all three breaststroke races and will head to the Kent County Championships.