Swimming: Miley is only Olympian at championships

Published on 28/06/2012 02:18

Hannah Miley is the only one of Scotland’s six Olympians competing in the Scottish Gas National Open Championships which make a welcome return to the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh today.

Miley defends her 400m individual medley title today and has also entered the 200m freestyle, 200m backstroke and the 200m individual medley.

She said: “This is my first visit to the pool since it was refurbished and it will be a great place to finalise my preparations for London.

After 13 years at Tollcross Leisure Centre in Glasgow, the Championships have returned to the Commonwealth Pool , which reopened in March after a £37million upgrade that took over three years to complete.

For the elite swimmers, the best change is a new “floating” floor that enables the pool to be made deeper and faster.

The Pool has already staged the East District and Brodies Scottish Schools’ Relay championships this month and, in three weeks’ time, it will be hosting Team GB’s Olympic holding camp.

For the Scots who just missed out on London 2012, it will be time to look ahead to the next major date – the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Stirling’s Jak Scott and Lucy Ellis, Warrender’s Lewis Smith, Edinburgh University’s Kathryn Johstone and Corrie Scott are all in the line-up.

Ellis won the 400m freestyle at last week’s British Gas ASA National Championships in Sheffield. Scott and Smith have both competed for Britain in World Championships – and will be aiming to shrug off the disappointment of failing to make it to London.

There will also be four members of Team GB’s Parlaympics squad. Jim Anderson (Stirling), Craig Rodgie (Edinburgh University), Andrew Mullen (Ren ’96) and England’s Charlotte Henshaw are taking part.

“It is great to be back in Edinburgh,” added Miley.

“I’ve been training hard for the past few weeks and it always nice to get back into racing mode.”

The 22-year-old from Inverurie is the reigning Commonwealth Games and European Champion in the 400m individual medley and claimed a silver medal at last year’s World Championships in Shanghai.

She will be one of Team GB’s leading medal hopes in London.

“The Scottish Gas National Open Swimming Championships are a critical marker in the Scottish Swimming calendar,” said Ashley Howard, Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Swimming. “I am sure the swimmers will produce some racing over the next four days.”