An Ayrshire swimmer hopes to make a splash in the pool this week when she heads for London.
Troon's Lucy Grieve will compete in the British Swimming Selection Trials – formerly called the British Swimming Championships – in London.
The event begins tomorrow at the capital's Aquatics Centre.
Normally the fastest 30 to 40 swimmers in each event from across the country compete and swimmers would qualify for events like the Olympics and European Junior Championships.
However, a lack of training opportunities for most athletes due to Covid restrictions has turned the sport upside down.
Therefore, most of the swimmers across the country within the qualifying standards to enter the British Open Championships will not be able to compete.
Swimmers within national squads have been privileged as elite athletes to train at specific venues and will make up the competitors of what is now called the British Swimming Selection Trials.
Lucy, a South Ayrshire Swim Team member who attends Marr College, will be competing in the 100m Butterfly.
She is a member of the Scottish Youth Squad and has been allowed limited access at Tollcross in Glasgow to train with other Scottish squad members.
The 17-year-old had been focused on qualifying for the European Junior Championships in 2020 which was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The goal is now the 2021 championships scheduled to take place in the Italian capital Rome from July 6 to July 11.
Team GB will have to make team selections by June and with limited opportunities to race, Lucy will have to impress and maintain levels to be on the selectors' radar.
Lewis Hammond (Prestwick Academy), Keira Stericker (Kyle Academy) and Charlotte Hardy (Wellington School) all achieved the qualification standards to qualify for the British Open Championships from their performances in 2019 and early 2020.
Due to the lack of training, they will not be competing but can take some confidence from knowing their levels of ability and use this to drive their goals over the next 12 months.
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