A Prince Rupert swimmer has returned home with three gold medals won at the Swim BC Provincial Championships in Victoria, held from March 10-13.
Kelly Choi, 12, won first place in the 50-metre breaststroke, 50-metre freestyle and 200-metre individual melody at her first provincial championship.
Almost gaining a fourth gold medal, she appeared to have won the 100-metre breaststroke but was disqualified for wobbling on the starting block.
“She handled that incredibly. She was really sanguine about it and positive. She just bounced back and had her best night of the meet after that,” Chris Street, head coach, said.
Choi also won the award for scoring the most points in the girls 11 to 12 age group after qualifying for the finals (top eight) in all 12 of the events she competed in.
Among her tops medals, she also earned a silver in the 100-metre freestyle and two bronze medals in the 200m breaststroke and 50m butterfly.
Her times in the 50 and 100-metre freestyle, as well as 200-metre individual melody, were also new Western National qualifying times.
Two more swimmers, Josh Joubert and Heidi Bellis earned spots for the first time at the provincial tournament.
Bellis, 13, qualified for six events and made best finishes in the 50 and 100-metre butterfly, placing 24th in both.
Joubert, 17, also qualified for six events and made the best finish in the 200-metre butterfly, placing 24th.
His 200 butterfly metre time, 2:14.40, was an all-time club record for Prince Rupert Amateur Swim Club. He also narrowly missed his first sub-one minute 100 metre butterfly time with swimming a best time of 1:00.40.
“It was a very successful weekend,” Street said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the way our kids swam and they way they handled themselves.”
READ MORE: Rupert Rapids win 22 medals – 9 gold, at North and Interior Winter Divisionals
WATCH: Rapids swim team make a splash at regional meet in Prince Rupert
Norman Galimski | Journalist
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