National Junior Para-Swimming Championships was a 'huge success'

The National Junior Para-swimming Championships 2019 have been hailed as a ‘huge success’.

More than 100 young para-swimmers took part in the competition, which was organised by the Activity Alliance in partnership with Swim England at the Liverpool Aquatics Centre.

Swimmers aged between 10 and 18-years-old competed in the event, setting a number of personal bests.

Jane Nickerson, Swim England Chief Executive, said: “The National Junior Para-Swimming Championships was once again a huge success.

“It was wonderful to see so many athletes compete and swim their best. Thank you to the Activity Alliance and Liverpool City Council for delivering the event.”

For many taking part, it was the first time competing at national level, and this was the case for 17 year-old Nima Ghavami from Northampton, who won gold in the SB7 100m breaststroke and silver in the S7 50m freestyle.

Ghavami said: “This is my first junior national event and I really enjoyed competing at it.

“I know quite a lot of people here so it’s always good to see them again and find out how they are getting on, and race against them.”

Another newcomer, McKenzie O’Reilly, an S10 swimmer from Gloucester, competed in the 50m freestyle and achieved a personal best time of 59.10 seconds.

Afterwards, he said: “I was nervous before my race, but during it I felt confident.

“My goal was to get a personal best in under a minute and it’s exciting that I have achieved that. I really enjoyed this weekend.”

Watching the action, Craig Nicholson, Performance Pathway Manager at British Swimming, said: “This event is a really positive part of the performance pathway for these young swimmers.

“The working relationship that British Swimming and Swim England have with Activity Alliance ensures an excellent competition opportunity for the youngsters.

“The more that we can grow the sport, the more that we can provide opportunities for disabled swimmers.

“We have a number of swimming clubs across Great Britain and they all play a key role in growing the number of swimmers, and also supporting them through the pathway too.”

The partnership between Activity Alliance and Swim England aims to increase the opportunities and talent development of young disabled swimmers.

Full competition results are available on the Activity Alliance website.

Image credit: SWPix.com

Top