A HOST of talented swimmers at a Colwyn Bay school came away with medals from a national event.

The Rydal Penrhos squad travelled to Cardiff to compete at the Urdd National Gala last weekend, and there were a number of impressive performances throughout.

Leading the way was Year 10 pupil Zach Speakman, who enhanced his growing reputation further with two podium finishes in his individual events.

The Swim Wales star, who recently received a call-up for the prestigious Golden Tour, claimed gold from the 200m individual medley in a superb time of 2:24.13 and swiftly followed this up with a silver in the 100m butterfly in 1:01.34.

There was further cause for celebration in the form of the girls’ freestyle relay team of Smithfield, Garrod, Kotelnikova and Mia Cole, who produced a fantastic effort under pressure to secure a silver medal from the event.

Head of Swimming Maciej Ruszkowski, said: “This was another very strong overall performance from the group, and they should all be very proud of their fantastic achievements.

“Zach once again proved why he is one of the best swimmers in the country with another outstanding level of performance, and I am also hugely proud of Samiya, Mollie, Mia and Ksenia for managing to bring home a medal.

“We have a rich tradition of success in this competition and there was plenty to indicate that this is going to continue long into the future.”