Competing in the Derventio Excel Open meet, in the Ponds Forge 50m pool, she was also three seconds inside the senior national time for her 400m individual medley which means that she has qualified for Bath University’s elite swimming squad.
‘She’s crossed a huge hurdle this weekend,’ said her coach, Bill Davies afterwards.
‘She needed a really good time for her main stroke, on Saturday, to qualify for the elite squad at Bath and then, on Sunday, she simply swam sublimely.
‘She gained another two golds, smashing as she did so Natalie Bree’s long-standing long-course records in the 200m and 400m freestyle events.
‘Katie’s new Island mark for 200m free stands at 2.11.58, a full second better than the seven-year old record, with a staggering 4 seconds removed from the nine-year old 400m free record, as she’s set a new mark of 4.34.63.
‘She’s crossed a huge barrier; at times I don’t think she even realises what a good swimmer she is.’ Despite being able to relax more in the water on Sunday, on Saturday in the 200m individual medley Speller finished second, in a PB time but 0.2 second outside a senior national qualifying time.
For the 18-year-old Beaulieu student the 400m IM was what she needed, as she looks to head off to Bath University at the end of the year.
‘What Katie has to do now is to concentrate on her A-levels,’ said Davies.
‘If she does that, and is accepted by Bath, the accommodation and the set-up they have for their elite squad of swimmers is tremendous.’
