Elite swimmer Neola Thorpe has competed in her biggest competition so far, the Edinburgh International Swim Meet, which incorporated the British Swimming Championships. This is a highly prestigious meet with the top of British swimming competing, including some International, Olympic and Commonwealth swimmers.

She and her family battled for two days through hazardous snowy weather, with little food, to reach Edinburgh for the International Swim Meet. But she still achieved a season’s best in the 50m Butterfly and finished 20th out of 73 in the Junior Heats. 

Neola, who swims for The York City Baths Club, also competed in the Junior Heats’ 100m Butterfly. She also enjoyed watching our country’s top swimmers battle it out for the British Champion title in the same event.

Among the races she watched were the Men’s 100m breaststroke, won by Olympic and World Champion Adam Peaty. Former York City swimmer James Wilby came in second, after winning the Men’s 200m Breaststroke earlier in the Championships.

Neola, who is currently ranked among the UK’s top 25 swimmers for the 50m butterfly and top 35 for the100m butterfly, trains seven or eight times a week, often getting up at 4am to get to early sessions before school, and also attends the gym to help build up her strength and stamina.

Lower Sixth Former Neola has been identified by Swim England as an elite swimmer and accepted onto a prestigious sports performance programme to help her progress, a government-funded Sporting Excellence Award.  Adam Peaty (Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Champion), Ollie Hynd (Paralympic, World and European Champion) and Olympic Bronze Medallist Tom Daley have all completed the same programm

The Award involves educational support from Dudley College in a 15-month course, focusing on the athlete’s ability to plan, apply and evaluate their development. The programme runs alongside Neola’s Sixth Form studies as two Level 3 BTEC Certificates.

David Byas, Director of Sport at Pocklington School, said: “Neola’s dedication is an inspiration to us all. She works hard to juggle the demands of her schoolwork with putting in the hours necessary to make it to the top of her sport. Her success is well-deserved and I wish her the best of luck in her next aim, to qualify for the British National Summer Meet.”