Posted on 9 December 2008
13-year-old Matthew Johnson has been presented with the Junior Boy title at the Yorkshire Sports Awards to top off yet another triumphant year.
Matt is the most successful age group swimmer in British history. Following on from a record nine gold medals at the British Age Group Championships in 2007 and 8 in 2006, he surpassed himself again just when it was supposed to get even harder – winning a record ten out of ten individual golds and taking his tally to 26 national titles within three years.
During 2008’s gruelling four-day event in Sheffield in July he broke a further seven British age group records – adding to the five he broke earlier in the year: this totalling twelve British records in five months, which is in itself a record, with his first being gained at 12 years old.
Matt won both the senior (open age) and junior Yorkshire titles for the 400m individual medley. In the Yorkshire Age Group Championships, Matt remains unbeaten with a 100% record for the third year running, winning all available titles in both long and short course competitions.
BBC Yorkshire Sports Awards 2008 [BBC Look North]
Posted on 28 July 2008
Outstanding performances from Matthew Johnson and Danielle Hall-Jackson, helped the City of Leeds on their way to the Top Club award at the ASA National Age Group Championships.
Johnson concluded his 2008 ASA National Age Group campaign with 10 individual gold medals and 3 bronze medals from the team relays. Meanwhile, Hall-Jackson picked up 4 golds (400m/800m/1500m freestyle and 4 x 200m freestyle relay), 1 silver (200m freestyle) and 1 bronze medal (4 x 100m freestyle relay).
Dominating the boys 13 years age group, Matthew Johnson completed his ASA National Age Group Championships in 2008 with easy wins in the 200m breaststroke (2:30.63) and 400m freestyle where he set a new British age group record of 4:09.59 smashing the record by over three seconds. He finished the day by contributing to the team performance in the boy’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay where the City of Leeds team came third.
Summarising Matthew Johnson’s performances, Richard Denigan, head age group coach at the City of Leeds, said, “Matthew’s target was to win ten individual gold medals at these Championships. Some of his events have been close with Matthew being pushed by his competitors, but we expected that and prepared accordingly. He’s come a long way in twelve months and we are both very pleased that he has accomplished his goal. In training we have been focused upon pacing and learning to swim a controlled race. His swims have been more mature but at the end of the day this is all a learning experience for the future”, concluded Denigan.