BKH Tri Gala September 2026

The Whales made an impressive start to the new season at its annual Tri Gala at Harrow Lodge, with swimmers from Killerwhales, Brentwood SC and Hornchurch SC coming together for two days of competitive racing.

There was plenty of success with Killerwhales swimmers winning events across freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and individual medley.

Standout performances came across virtually every age group. Eight year old Raffi A enjoyed a perfect gala, winning all five of his events, while several swimmers collected multiple gold medals.

Among the older age groups, Sean M won eight events in the boys' 14 years category, while Stanley P claimed six gold medals in the boys' 16+ category. Other multiple-event winners included Sonny F, Nickan M, Lacey H, Jessica F and Sienna C.

For many swimmers, the gala provided a first opportunity to race events they had been working on in training, while others were targeting personal bests, Essex Championships qualifying times or preparation for bigger competitions later in the season.

Coaches were particularly pleased to see swimmers of all ages racing with confidence and finishing strongly. With many swimmers having completed fewer than four weeks of full training, there is plenty of scope for further improvement as the season progresses.

Killerwhales thanks all of the swimmers, coaches, officials, volunteers and parents who helped make the Tri Gala a success, as well as Brentwood SC and Hornchurch SC for their participation.