PARALYMPIC hopeful Alice Tai broke her third European record in eight days as she won eight medals at the DSE National Short Course Championships in Sheffield.

The 14-year-old Bournemouth Collegiate School academy swim-mer knocked two seconds off the S10 European record for the 100m backstroke with a time of 1:09.78.

The time also puts her on course to qualify for her first IPC European Championships.

Tai, who smashed European long-course records for 50 and 200m backstroke in Bristol a week earlier, has since flown to Sao Paolo to make her GB debut in this week’s Brazil School Games.

At Sheffield, she won gold in the S10 50 and 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke, silver in the 400m freestyle and bronze in the 100m butterfly, 100 and 200m in-dividual medley and the relay as a member of the South East team.

  •  Swim Bournemouth’s Blaize Kenny was also in the form of his life as he made his national championship debut.

The 12-year-old was the fastest of his age in all four of his events as he came fifth, seventh, ninth and 13th respectively in the men’s S10 100m medley, 400m freestyle, 200m medley and 100m freestyle.

Kenny, pictured right, rubbing shoulders with Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds, also slashed large chunks of time off his personal bests.