ABINGDON Vale’s Niall O’Leary is No 1 in Britain following his record-breaking performance in the South East Region Winter Championships at Aldershot.

The 16-year-old’s winning time of 2mins 1.09secs in the 200m backstroke, which brought him the open and junior gold medals, is not out only a regional record, but puts him top of the national short-course rankings for his age group.

O’Leary also won the the junior 100m backstroke in an under 16 record of 57.10.

Clubmate Alex Murphy smashed two records on a highly-successful day for Vale, who claimed 11 gold medals in all.

Murphy’s winning time of 27.47 for the 50m freestyle is an open regional record. His other gold medal came in the 100m breastroke.

He came second in the 200m breaststroke, but his time of 2.15.85 still broke the Oxfordshire & North Bucks record.

Vale boasted two other double gold-medallists.

Michael Esnouf took the junior 50m and 200m breaststroke, while Harry James won the open 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley.

Their other junior county record came from Caitlin Wheatley in the 200m butterfly (2.16.45), in which she finished second.

She also won the junior 50m butterfly. Jamie Goldstone, 16, from Didcot Barramund, triumphed in the junior 100m breaststoke final in 1.7.07 and also got a bronze in the 50m breaststroke.

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