Sports scholars create splash at national level

August 15, 2018

Ellie with her bronze medal.

A dedicated teenager has clinched a bronze medal in Swim Wales’ Summer Open Meet.

Ellie raced to third place in the 100 metre breaststroke at the Welsh National Pool in Swansea.

It has been a busy time for the Monmouth School for Girls’ pupil, who also qualified for the British Summer Championships in Sheffield.

Alongside three of her City of Newport club-mates, Ellie competed in the 14-16 age section of the Women’s 400m medley relay.

Ellie, who is a sports scholar at Monmouth, swam a personal best in her breaststroke leg of the relay as the quartet improved their overall UK ranking by five places, moving up to 25th position.

Another dedicated sports scholar at Monmouth School for Girls, Rachel, has been competing in the pool and qualified for the Swim England National Summer Meet in Sheffield.

Swimming in the 14 years age group, Rachel achieved a personal best in the 50 metres front crawl in 28.25 to finish 13th in her heat, narrowly missing out on the final by 0.06 seconds.

In the 100 metres front crawl, Rachel swam a creditable 1.02.46 in her heat. Although missing out on the final, Rachel should be proud of her efforts in her first national event and the experience will boost her confidence for future competitions.

Director of Sport at Monmouth School for Girls, Miss Lou Scott, said: “I am delighted to see Ellie and Rachel achieving such success in the pool.

This year they have both achieved personal best after personal best and have played an integral part in the school swim team, which has enjoyed another unbeaten season.

“They are highly dedicated athletes who work hard to balance their swimming training around their academic commitments.

“Ellie has just completed her GCSE exams but has also found the time to excel on the lacrosse pitch, while Rachel was a key player in the under-14 hockey team who made it to the Welsh Schools Finals in March.

“They have both been recognised by their coaches for their exceptional attitude and I look forward to seeing them continue to flourish in the pool.”

Rachel qualified for the Swim England National Summer Meet.