From left: Maxim Belyakov, Laurence da Silva, Michael Gordienko and Allison Liaw, who were among Camden Swiss Cottage squad members in Hornchurch [Mickaël Malaper / Malaper Photography]

A SUPER-SQUAD of swimmers have enjoyed a 2026 to remember after making a big splash on the national stage.

Members from Camden Swiss Cottage can look back on a national junior podium finish, a Relay Challenge victory and fifth place in the National Arena League Cup final.

On Saturday, the club’s junior squad secured a third-place finish in the final of the National Arena Junior League, which was held at the Harrow Lodge Leisure Centre in Hornchurch, east London.

Maxim Belyakov and Daniel Bril were among the standout performers as Camden Swiss Cottage recorded their second-highest finish in the competition’s history.

The final standings saw defending champions Guildford City retain the title, with Chelsea & Westminster taking second place and Camden third – the club’s best finish since 2022 when they were runners-up.

Camden also claimed victory in the mixed 6x50m freestyle Relay Challenge, with a united effort from Bril, Cherice Ho, Zakariya Jelbaoui, Gleb Kharchenko, Amara Shah and Angelina Huang winning the race by five seconds.

Praising the squad of nine to 12-year-olds and their coaching team, Camden Swiss Cottage’s junior national lead coach, Tom Watson, said: “Huge congratulations to our junior league swimmers, who finished third nationally in what was an incredibly fast and competitive final.

“This is the second-highest finish in the club’s history and a fantastic achievement for everyone involved.

“We have now reached every national final since 2017, which reflects the hard work, dedication and consistency of our swimmers and coaches.

“Congratulations also go to everyone who competed in the earlier rounds and represented our other teams. Every swimmer has played a part in this success.

“Our club puts a huge amount of effort into preparing for these league competitions. Special thanks must go to our academy programme, which continues to develop talented young swimmers who progress through the ranks to represent Camden Swiss Cottage at the highest levels.”

The junior team’s success follows on from another significant performance by Camden Swiss Cottage at the National Arena League Cup final, which was held back in March.

Almost 400 clubs and over 16,000 swimmers started out at the regional level, with Camden Swiss Cottage qualifying for the national finals as champions of London.

Having earned their place at Birmingham’s Sandwell Aquatics Centre, the swimming venue for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Camden went on to finish in fifth place nationally, making them the highest-placed London club in the competition.

Explaining how it took a marathon to fine-tune their sprints, Camden Swiss Cottage’s head coach, Adam Taylor, said: “Finishing fifth in the country and as the highest-placed London club is a fantastic achievement.

“The National Arena League brings together some of the strongest swimming clubs in Britain, so to compete at this level is a real credit to our swimmers and coaching team.

“Winning the London League and then securing a top-five national finish reflects the strength and depth of our squad across all age groups. It’s particularly encouraging to see our younger swimmers progressing through the club and contributing to our success at national level.

“These results don’t happen overnight. They reflect years of hard work from our swimmers, coaches and the wider club, and give us a strong platform to build on.”