FIRST and Edinburgh University were crowned top clubs at the inaugural Scottish National Team Championships held at Tollcross International Swimming Centre earlier today.
The Scottish National Team Championships have been established to give swimmers the very rare opportunity to compete as a team. It also provides swimmers with the chance to get some early season head-to-head racing in and for 2014 has attracted many of Scotland’s top swimmers including over 20 athletes who represented Team Scotland this summer.
The junior session was won by FIRST, followed by Warrender Baths Club in second place and South Lanarkshire in third. Being held at such an early time of the season the event showcased some quick swimming and close races, with the swimmers enjoying the packed stands and noise at Tollcross International Swimming Centre, which hosted the Commonwealth Games less than 2 months ago.
Scottish Swimming Performance Director, Ally Whike, was positively surprised about the level of racing, especially at the junior session: ‘The junior session was absolutely fantastic, the kids really took on the mantle of racing, having a great time and making lots of noise, and at this time of the season that’s what it is all about.’
The senior session featured some of Scotland’s top talent, including Gold medal winners Ross Murdoch and Hannah Miley. Murdoch was excited to be back in the venue where he sealed his biggest success yet: ‘Coming back in my heart is still racing, I still remember that moment when I stood on the podium.’ With the emphasis of the event on the team ethos, Murdoch was glad to be back at the venue with his teammates: ‘We are just a big family, we have a really good team ethic and work ethic. We play hard and we race even harder. Having the top teams in Scotland coming here to race off who really is the top team becomes more a show for the public than it is a competition for us. It can boost the image of swimming and put it into the public eye again.’
The senior session was won by Edinburgh University, followed by City of Glasgow in second and both Warrender Baths and University of Stirling in third.
