Congratulations to Mabel who has been selected to swim at the British Summer Championships and English National championships this summer

Mabel swims with a small club called Anaconda, in Islington. Not only were many months of training missed owing to the various lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, but Anaconda did not regain access to its main training pool until January this year, almost 22 months after it closed for the first lockdown.

Mabel’s first competition after returning to full training, at the start of this year, was the Middlesex County Championships. Here she won a total of 11 medals, 6 gold and 5 silver: she medalled in all 4 strokes at 50m; in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly at 100m; in backstroke at 200m and in the individual medley events over 100m, 200m and 400m.

In order to be invited to compete at National level, swimmers have to record times in Level 1 Meets (in a 50m pool) during the Qualification Window, which this year was 11th March – 8th May. The London Region Summer Championships took place over the penultimate weekend of the window and Mabel saw further success here, winning gold in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events, bronze in the 50m freestyle and 200m individual medley and coming 4th in the 100m freestyle. Times were more important than medals, however, and Mabel recorded times that have seen her invited to compete at the British Summer Championships in 4 events – 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke and 50m freestyle – and at English Nationals in a further event, 100m freestyle. It is only the fastest 20 swimmers in each age group across England, Scotland and Wales that are invited to British Championships, after which each home country invites the fastest 20 swimmers, excluding those going to the British Championships, to take place in their Nationals.

British Summer Championships 2022 are taking place at Ponds Forge in Sheffield, 22nd – 28th July. English Nationals are also being held at Ponds Forge this year, 5th – 9th August. Mabel’s dream is to make some finals and, ideally, win a medal. Watch this space!