A team of 25 swimmers competed in the British Para Swimming International Meet between Thursday 27 and Sunday 30 April. The event took place for the fourth year running in Pond’s Forge, Sheffield.
This event is one of the largest open competitions for para swimmers and attracted teams from all over the world. As British Swimming enters a new Paralympic cycle, athletes were competing for the title of British Champion. Races toko place over the four days with heat sessions taking place in the morning and finals in the evening.
Toni Shaw and Stephen Clegg had a particularly successful event, as they broke eight British and Scottish records between them. A full list of new record holders is below.
British Records:
Stephen Clegg S12 50m Freestyle (25.14)
Stephen Clegg S12 100m Freestyle (54.08)
Stephen Clegg S12 100m Backstroke (1:02.01)
Scottish Records:
Toni Shaw S9 50m Freestyle (30.97)
Toni Shaw S9 100m Freestyle (1:06.54)
Toni Shaw S9 400m Freestyle (4:58.66)
Toni Shaw S9 100m Butterfly (1:12.35)
Toni Shaw SM9 200m IM (2:44.61)
Beth Johnston S10 100m Backstroke (1:18.66)
Oliver Carter S10 100m Freestyle (59.13)
World Para Series Medallists:
Gold – Conner Morrison 100m Breaststroke
Silver – Scott Quin 100m Breaststroke
Silver – Andrew Mullen 50m Butterfly
Silver – Andrew Mullen 50m Backstroke
Silver – Stephen Clegg 100m Backstroke
Bronze – Stephen Clegg 100m Freestyle
Bronze – Stephen Clegg 100m Butterfly
General Stats:
Total 107 Events
Total Final Swims 54 (50.5%)
PBs as % of total Swims 36.6%
Total Scottish Swimmers Entered 25
Day 1
On day one, University of Aberdeen Performance athlete, Conner Morrison (SB14), took gold in the MC 100m breaststroke event, with a time of 1:07.53 (947 points). Paralympic silver medallist, Scott Quin, SB14, (Warrender Baths) secured silver in 1:08.29 (916 points).
Paralympian Stephen Clegg (S12) picked up bronze in the MC 100m freestyle. The University of Stirling athlete touched home in 54.08 (834 points), which was a new British Record.
Andrew Mullen (S5, City of Glasgow Swim Team) and Oliver Carter (S10, Carnegie) finished 19th and 21st respectively. Earlier in the day Oliver Carter broke the Scottish Record for the event, touching home in 59.13.
In other World Series finals, Toni Shaw (S9, University of Aberdeen Performance) finished 11th in the MC 100m freestyle in 1:07.30. Earlier in the day she had broken the Scottish Record for the event with a time of 1:06.54. Rosie Bancroft (S10, Manchester Aquatics) and Abby Kane (S13, Ren 96) were 16th and 21st overall for the event.
Reagan Doig (SB14, Stirling Swimming), finished 18th overall in the MC 100m breaststroke.
Day 2
Stephen Clegg (S12, University of Stirling) continued his record breaking form on day 2 of the British Para-Swimming International Meet at Ponds Forge in Sheffield, breaking the British Record in the MC 50m freestyle event with a time of 25.14 to finish 9th overall (764 points). He takes the record from older brother James.
Andrew Mullen (S5, City of Glasgow Swim Team) finished 20th overall with a time of 36.37 (677 points).
In the Women’s MC 50m freestyle World Series finals, Toni Shaw (S9, University of Aberdeen Performance) finished 13th overall in 31.33 (732 points). Earlier in the day Shaw had broken the Scottish record for the event with a time of 30.97.
Abby Kane (S13, Ren 96) finished in 30.58 (714 points) to finish 16th overall for the event.
Shaw (SM9) went onto break the Scottish Record again in the MC 200m IM World Series final, posting a time of 2:44.61 to finish 14th overall with 724 points.
In the Men’s MC 200m IM World Series finals, Scott Quin (SM14, Warrender Baths Club) finished 11th overall with a time of 2:21.44 (758 points) while gold medallist from day 1, Conner Morrison (SM14, University of Aberdeen Performance) touched home in 2:22.16 (746 points) to finish 12th.
Day 3
Toni Shaw (S9, University of Aberdeen Performance), secured her hat-trick of Scottish Records on day 3 of the British Para Swimming International Meet, taking place at Ponds Forge in Sheffield. The 13-year old swam to a new record in the MC 100m butterfly World Series final, posting a time of 1:12.35 which saw her finish 7th overall with 784 points.
Reagan Doig (S14, Stirling Swimming) finished 14th overall for the event in a time of 1:11.46 (625 points).
Stephen Clegg (S12, University of Stirling) was back on the podium twice, with Silver in the MC 100m backstroke, where he won silver in a time of 1:02.01 (876 points). That improved on the British Record he set for the event at the Paralympic Games in Rio last summer.
Later on in the evening Clegg won Bronze in the MC 100m butterfly, finishing in 1:00.92, 812 points.
Andrew Mullen (S5, City of Glasgow Swim Team) made a welcome return to the podium on the penultimate day of racing at the British Para Swimming International Meet in Sheffield.
Mullen won silver in the MC 50m butterfly with a time of 37.59 (738 points).
Paralympic silver medallist, Abby Kane (S13, Ren 96) finished 6th overall in the MC 100m backstroke, with a time of 1:10.58 (849 points).
Day 4
Paralympic Silver medallist, Andrew Mullen (S5, City of Glasgow Swim Team) had to be satisfied with silver again for the MC 50m backstroke World Series Final on the last day of racing at the British Para Swimming International Meet in Sheffield. Mullen’s time of 38.04 (775 points) was just 0.1 off his time in Rio, which won him the silver medal for the event.
Gold went to Czech Republic’s Arnost Petracek (S4) in a world record time of 42.22 and a total of 1035 points.
In other World Series Finals, Toni Shaw (S9, University of Aberdeen Performance) again showed her form, finishing 5th in the MC 400m freestyle event, with a time of 4:59.51 (683 points). Abby Kane (S13, Ren 96) was 12th in 5:03.65 (624 points), while Beth Johnston (S10, BEST) and Cara Smyth (S10, InCAS) finished 19th and 21st respectively with times of 5:25.18 (572 points) and 5:31.27 (541 points).
In the Men’s MC 400m freestyle event, Oliver Carter (S10, Carnegie) finished 10th in 4:35.09 (645 points).
In the MC 200m freestyle World Series finals, Conner Morrison (S14, University of Aberdeen Performance) finished 9th overall in 2:06.35, with Scott Quin (S14, Warrender Baths) and Jack Milne (S14, Dundee City Aquatics) finishing 14th and 22nd respectively in 2:08.35 (743 points) and 2:12.69 (672 points).
Reagan Doig (S14, Stirling Swimming) was 7th overall in the Women’s MC 200m freestyle posting a time of 2:23.16 for 620 points).
The full list of swimmers competing is below:
| Name | Branch | Region |
| Rosie Bancroft | West | |
| Lewis Beagrie | West | |
| Christian Buchanan | Lothian Disability Sport | East |
| Oliver Carter | Disability Sport Fife | Fife |
| Stephen Clegg | Borders Disability Sport | East |
| Reagan Doig | Perth & Kinross Disability Sport | Tayside |
| Adam Donnachie | South Lanarkshire Disability Sport | West |
| Rhys Gill | Grampian Disability Sport | Grampian |
| Hope Gordon | Highland Disability Sport | Highlands & Islands |
| Kayleigh Haggo | Ayrshire Sportsability | West |
| Genevieve Hunter | West | |
| Kyle Hughes | West | |
| Beth Johnston | Borders Disability Sport | East |
| Abby Kane | Ayrshire Sportsability | West |
| John Law | West | |
| Stephen McCormick | Disability Sport Fife | Fife |
| Amy McFarlane | West | |
| Jack Milne | Tayside | |
| Conner Morrison | Grampian Disability Sport | Grampian |
| Andrew Mullen | West | |
| Laura Pilkington | Lothian Disability Sport | East |
| Scott Quin | Lothian Disability Sport | East |
| Toni Shaw | Grampian Disability Sport | Grampian |
| Cara Smyth | Disability Sport Fife | Fife |
| Erin Swan | West |
Full results can be seen here.
If you or anyone you know would like to become involved in disability swimming, please contact Scottish Disability Sport on 0131 317 1130 or admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com.