Record-Breaking Success for Bournemouth Collegiate School Swim Team at 2026 County Championships

After six days of racing spread across four consecutive weekends, swimmers from BCS have completed the Dorset County Championships 2026 in record-breaking fashion, achieving what the coaching team has confirmed as the school’s most successful county championships to date.

A total of 46 swimmers represented BCS across an impressive 417 event entries - the highest number of qualifiers and race entries in the programme’s history. This depth of participation translated into a significant rise in finals appearances, with BCS swimmers competing in a remarkable 132 finals.

The medal haul reflected the team’s strength across all age groups, with swimmers securing:

• 38 Gold medals
• 26 Silver medals
• 36 Bronze medals

This brings the overall total to 100 medals, an increase of seven compared with last year’s championships.

From the 388 swims completed during the competition, BCS athletes achieved 227 personal best times, underlining both performance progression and consistency throughout the team.

A standout performance came from Rosina, who set three new club records in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events. Special recognition also goes to Molly, who broke the club’s 200m backstroke record at a pre-Christmas meet in Guildford.

Another outstanding achievement came from Spike in the 10/11 years age group, who delivered an exceptional championship performance, winning 11 gold medals and 2 silver medals from his 13 events. This success is a reward for his commitment and dedication to the training sessions delivered at the school’s prep site.

The coaching team expressed pride in the entire squad, from prep-school development swimmers through to senior youth athletes:

“We are incredibly proud of the whole team. The spirit across the four weekends was phenomenal, and every swimmer represented the school with pride and passion. The results reflect not only talent, but also commitment, teamwork, and resilience.”

The squad now moves into a focused four-week training block ahead of their first long-course meet of the season, where attention will turn toward regional and national championship qualification later in the year.

The school also extended sincere thanks to parents and volunteers who officiated or supported the championships across multiple roles:

“These events simply could not run without the dedication of volunteers. We are extremely grateful for the time, effort, and encouragement given from poolside and the balcony throughout the competition.”

Sam Woodward, Head Coach