Swimming: 'Massive relief' for Smith as he booked his ticket to Rome!

SwimEasy’s Managing Director Celebrated as Lewis made the World Championships

WARRENDER'S Lewis Smith was a very happy man after the final session of the British Gas Scottish Open Championships at Tollcross Leisure Centre in Glasgow as he clinched his ticket to the World Championships in Rome. The 21-year-old, who now trains mostly at the new British Intensive Training Centre at Stirling University, has swum at the European Championships, but a win in the 400m Individual Medley allowed him to step up to an even higher level.

Having just missed out in the 400m Freestyle and the 200m Medley (by a cruel one hundredth of a second), it was no more than Smith deserved. Minutes after he touched in 4:15.92, just ahead of Joe Roebuck's 4:19.18, the Edinburgh man admitted: "This is a massive relief. Two chances had passed me by and, although I was still confident, there was still a lot of pressure. A couple of weeks ago, I was really ill when we went to a meet in Barcelona and so that put me back a bit.

This is a major step up for me and the first stepping-stone to the Olympics in London 2012; that's always been the main aim."

Lewis Smith is the son of SwimEasy’s Managing Director Gail Smith. Lewis is not the only success to come out of SwimEasy, Craig Hamilton also made the World Swimming Championships in the Open Water Events which were held in Rome and Ailsa Small won Gold in the 200 metresBreaststroke event , at this year’s Scottish Age Group Championships. Craig Hamilton also competed in the European Championships in August before leaving to take up his swimming training career in the USA.

Numerous other swimmers are enjoying success at the Development levels of swimming as they progress from SwimEasy into Club Swimming with Warrender Swimming Club (not to be mistaken with Warrender Baths Centre in Thirlestane Road, Edinburgh).

Photograph's below show Lewis in action!