‘I know he would have been delighted with how both boys performed. We’re extremely proud of them both’
Henry (right) and Emerson Callis(Image: Callis family photo)
Two talented brothers from Beverley are celebrating a number of winning swims following an outstanding competitive weekend. Henry Callis, 12, and his brother Emerson, nine, collected a huge haul of eight medals between them, including four golds, at the recent Yorkshire Swimming Championships.
Their amazing achievements came at a profoundly meaningful and emotional time for the Callis family, coming hours after their grandfather passed away, on the morning of the first day of the championships. The two, who are members of the Barracudas Swimming Club, produced an impressive series of performances against some of Yorkshire’s finest young swimmers, returning with four gold medals, one silver and three bronze medals, alongside numerous other top-eight finishes.
It marked a dream debut for young Emerson at his first Yorkshire Championships. He competing in the boys’ 9 years and under category, claiming gold medals in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke, along with bronze medals in the 100m freestyle and 100m individual medley.
He narrowly missed out on another medal with fourth place in the 50m freestyle, finished fifth in both the 50m and 100m backstroke, sixth in the 100m butterfly and eighth in the 50m butterfly. Emerson finished inside the top eight in all nine of his events at his first county championships.
Meanwhile, his brother Henry continued his own remarkable run of success, claiming gold in both the boys’ 12 years and under 50m and 100m backstroke. The victories marked an impressive milestone for Henry, who has now won both Yorkshire backstroke titles for four consecutive years, demonstrating exceptional consistency at county level.
Henry also collected silver in the 50m freestyle and bronze in the 100m freestyle, together with further top-eight finishes in his other events. The Callis family told how the brothers’ gold medal wins felt like a particularly special tribute to their grandfather, Raymond Callis, who sadly passed away on the morning of the championships.
Raymond had a longstanding interest in swimming, having previously served as one of the head coaches at City of Hull Swimming Club, where he also coached his son Paul during his younger competitive years. Paul went on to become a champion swimmer and, more recently, a British Masters record holder.
Raymond continued to follow the sport with great enthusiasm, taking particular pleasure in watching the progress and achievements of his two grandsons. He had been especially looking forward to seeing Emerson compete in his first Yorkshire Championships.
Their father, Paul Callis, himself a competitive Masters swimmer and British record holder, said: “Both boys had a fantastic championships. For Emerson to come away from his first Yorkshires with two gold medals and two bronzes was a brilliant achievement, and Henry winning both backstroke titles for the fourth consecutive year is something we’re extremely proud of.
“Dad coached me when I was younger and swimming was always a big part of his life. He took a great interest in the boys’ progress and got a lot of enjoyment from seeing them compete.
“He had been particularly looking forward to Emerson’s first Yorkshires, and I know he would have been delighted with how both boys performed. We’re extremely proud of them both and looking forward to seeing how they progress.”
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