European Championships pave the way to Rio and beyond

Plymouth College has consolidated its position as one of the top swimming schools in the country with a formidable set of results at the European Championships.

Swimming in the same lane that gave her gold in London 2012, Plymouth College student, Ruta Meilutyte, claimed a European title by taking gold in the 100m breaststroke and setting a championship record for Lithuania.

Laura Stephens (pictured) won gold in the 400m medley relay and set a British record in the 50m butterfly.  At just 16 years’ old, Laura missed the final of the 100m butterfly by just one place and posted a lifetime best time in her first senior GB appearance.  It was also the first senior GB representation for Jessica Jackson and Thomas Fannon.

Kregor Zirk set five Estonian national records at senior, youth and junior levels while Ana-Maria Damjanovska broke a Macedonian senior record.

Former pupil, Ben Proud, proved he is on track for Rio with bronze medals in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle.  Another former pupil, Juliette Casini, broke two Belgian national records.  She earned qualification to compete in Rio as part of the Belgian 800m freestyle relay but will have to wait until 30^th May for the team’s place to be confirmed. OPM, Matthew Zammit, swam for Malta.

“It is really nice to see Ruta back on top of the international podium with just 70 days to Rio,” said Plymouth College Director of Swimming, Jon Rudd. “Ben has put himself in a position to be a serious challenger for an Olympic medal and we have our fingers’ crossed that Juliette’s team retains their 16^th fastest relay status.  The wait is likely to be a bit longer for some of our athletes from minority countries who may be selected through Olympic Solidarity.

“This was a great breakthrough event for Laura who, along with Thomas, Kregor, Ana-Maria and Federico Poggio (Italy), will be on the starting blocks in the European Junior Championships this summer.”

The performance swimming programme is run in partnership with Plymouth Leander, bringing together the very best in coaching and education. For the latest swimming news follow @PlymColSwim on Twitter or Like Plymouth College Swimming on Face Book.