Amelia to swim for GB team in Finland (From Bournemouth Echo)

Amelia to swim for GB team in Finland

7:00am Thursday 2nd July 2009 in

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AMELIA Maughan’s burgeoning international career is about to take another step forward following her selection for the European Youth Olympic Festival in Finland later this month.

The Bournemouth Dolphins 13-year-old is the youngest of 61 athletes, aged 13 to 18, from six sports named in the British team to compete against 48 other nations from July 18 to 25.

She is one of seven girls and nine boys in the swimming team and expects to swim the 50m and 100m freestyle and relays.

It will be her first appearance in a Great Britain team, although she made her international debut for England at a lower key meet in Greece in May.

She said: “I’m really pleased to be selected for Finland – I thought I would be too young to get in this team.

“But I’m going to be nervous because some of my competitors are very quick.

“I’m hoping to get a big PB and get on the podium.”

Dolphins coach Graham Bassi said: “The youth Olympics is a great opportunity for youngsters to develop their talents against many of the best swimmers of their age in Europe.

“I’m confident Amelia will be a big-time player and will challenge for medals and come back with knowledge and experience of what is required to make the step up for the London Olympics and beyond.”

Maughan’s selection follows her sensational form at the British Championships in March, when she reached the semi-finals of the women’s 50m and 100m freestyle.

She was still 12 at the time and her 100m time of 57.57 made her the fastest 12-year-old in the 2009 world rankings and one of the 10 fastest of all time.

That was one highlight of a year in which she has also:

• become national age group champion in the 100m and 200m freestyle;
• broken National Swimming League 11/u and 13/u records held by 2008 Olympic finalists Fran Halsall and Lizzie Simmonds;
• broken four county junior records held by, among others, Dorset’s first Olympic swimmer Karen Legg and world championship swimmer Alex Savage.

Ironically, Amelia’s current training regime has been interrupted by her part in a school play set partly in a school that is famous for its swimming!

• Five medals in five events earned Bournemouth Dolphins’ 10-year-old Tom Kingham his age group’s BAGCATS title at the South West Regional Sprint Championships at Gloucester.

He won gold in the 10yrs 50m butterfly (35.21) and 100m individual medley (1:20.86), silver in the 50m freestyle and breaststroke (31.77 and 43.15) and bronze in the 50m backstroke (37.73).

Ahead of Kingham on the backstroke was Poole’s Kiran Olenicz, who took the silver medal in 37.46.

Three Ferndown Otters made it into the medals – Ben Fellows with silver in the 17yrs 50m backstroke (29.62) and Mikey Kingsley and Lucy Kirkham with bronze in the boys’ and girls’ 13yrs 50m freestyle (28.13 and 29.49).

,b>Other top eight places, Poole: 10yrs Olenicz 6th 50m free, 7th 100m medley. 14yrs Phoebe Notley 4th 50m free. 15yrs Declan Callahan 7th 50m back, 8th 50m free, 8th 50m fly. 17yrs Danni Callahan 4th 50m breast, 4th 50m back, 4th 100m medley, 5th 50m free, 5th 50m fly.

Ferndown: 13yrs Kingsley 6th 50m fly; Kirkham 4th 50m breast, 8th 50m fly, 8th 100m medley.

Bournemouth Dolphins: 11yrs Jamie Holmes 4th 50m breast. 12yrs Ryan McCormack 4th 50m free, 7th 100m medley; Bethany Hebditch 6th 50m breast.

• Sixteen wins and eight second places earned East Dorset victory by 38 points in the Dorset Primary Schools Championships.

Bournemouth’s Littledown pool was a cauldron of excitement as eight teams were cheered through a 36-race programme.

Poole and West Dorset shared second place in a gala which saw the return of a Purbeck team following an absence of several years.

Overall result: 1 East Dorset 241, =2 Poole 203, =2 West Dorset 203, 4 Bournemouth 156, 5 Weymouth & Portland 149, 6 Christchurch 141, 7 North Dorset 103, 8 Purbeck 64.