A TEENAGER from a Bournemouth is celebrating after qualifying as the youngest swimmer in the S6 category at the World Paralympic Swimming Championships.

Leo McCrea, aged 15 and a pupil at Bournemouth Collegiate School, was competing against swimmers who ranged in age from 18 to 33.

The event took place at the London Aquatics Centre and saw over 600 swimmers from around 60 different countries compete.

The S6 class includes people with a range of different types of disability including short stature, major limb impairment or loss in two limbs.

Taking part in the 400m freestyle, Leo scored an impressive 14 second Personal Best in his debut heat.

He then went on to achieve a further four PB’s, moving him up seven places to be in the Top 10 in the 50m Freestyle World Rankings.

Head of the BCS Swimming Academy, Sam Woodward said: “We are phenomenally proud of Leo’s recent success at the World Paralympic Swimming Championships.

“Leo is an absolute asset to the BCS Swimming Academy, compounding natural talent with dedicated hard work. It has been rewarding to see him being recognised for his efforts, and we look forward to continuing to work with Leo to build upon this success.”

Leo’s father, Neil added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank BCS and all Leo’s coaches for their great work in helping Leo achieve his ultimate dream.

“We now await to hear whether Leo will be getting his dream slot at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.”