European Junior Championships Arrive for Ellesmere Swimmers

In the lead up to this year's Olympics, a record number of thirteen Titans were in action in Glasgow last week to take part in the British Swimming Championships held at Tollcross International Swimming Centre, home to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The event saw Britains' top swimmers go head-to head for the right to represent their country at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, with the younger swimmers competing for a place at the Junior European Championships held in Hungary in July.

On the first day four of the girls were in action in the 200m freestyle with Anna Smail, Ellinor Southward, Freya Anderson, and Tazmin Pugh, who progressed to the EJ Final finishing 2nd and taking her up to 4th in the UK. On the second day Cassie Wild and Ellinor Southward both progressed to the EJ finals. Tazmin Pugh and Chloe Golding were also in action with both progressing to the TT finals.

For the Boys Jacob Jackson raced in the 200m butterfly and progressed to the TT finals where he finished 3rd. Freya Anderson was in action once again in the 200m breaststroke getting a life time best and a West Midlands Junior Record. In the 100m backstroke Joseph Small set a pb, breaking his own West Midlands Junior record.

This year's British Championships & Olympic Trials clearly put Freya Anderson and Tazmin Pugh and indeed Jacob Jackson on the map and in front of the Hungarian European Junior Championships GBR selectors, performing excellently in the various finals climbing up the European rankings and cementing their places in the 'All Time Best' age group lists in the UK.

In the end it was Freya and Tazmin who won through selection and are off to Hodmesovarsarhely in Hungary on July 3rd with competition 6 - 10th July, with Freya competing for the England in as part of their Development Programme in Lignano, Italy at the end of April.

Head Coach Alan Bircher went on to say "The titans never surprise me anymore, it seems the harder we practice the luckier we get!!! It was a fantastic trials and to have senior finals with Tazmin and Chloe finishing fourth and fifth was a really good show of where we are now"