It was a performance to remember for 15-year-old Hamilton Aquatics swimmer Eammon Gumley, who set a new British national age record in the 50m butterfly on Saturday.
Gumley broke the previous record of 25.67 seconds, set by Oliver Leonard in Windsor in the United Kingdom in 2011.
His 25.59sec achievement was the highlight at the Hamilton Aquatics Summer Sizzler event in Dubai, with Gumley also triumphing in the 100m free, 100m fly and 50m free.
Gumley’s record was hailed by head coach Ash Morris, who said: “It was an amazing achievement. This feat is going to help him with his motivation that he can achieve something of the highest standard in the future.”
And Morris admits the record came as a bit of a shock, considering he was next to team-mate Velimir Stjepanovic, who finished sixth in the 200m butterfly final at the London Olympics.
“It was a bit of a surprising record. We knew he would get close but we never thought that he would break it,” said Morris.
“And since it was the last competition he could compete in the under-15 age category, he just went for it and it paid off.
“Stjepanovic is a strong and talented athlete, but Gumley had the utmost confidence to beat him. He really pushed him on which was impressive.”
Having coached for eight years, Morris said he was impressed with the manner of how Gumley swam his race.
“He swam perfectly and it was a well executed performance from start to finish. His technique was clearly the difference.
“He already has the determination to succeed, and hopefully this performance will be the stepping stone for him to achieve even more great things.
“You never know, he could go and break the 100m record in another age category. He told me his goal is to represent Australia at the senior level at the Olympic Games and World Championships when he turns 18.
“And there is definitely potential for him to reach that level. There are already some top US colleges tracking him for their establishments when he decides to move there in two years’ time.
Gumley will have a few weeks to rest as he prepares for his next competition, the British Nationals in August, his last of the season.
