Bishop's Stortford Swimming Club youngsters Kirsty Neill, Ella Greatbatch, Molly Greatbatch and Elliot Hall selected for Swim England Talent Pathway
Four Bishop's Stortford Swimming Club youngsters are dreaming of performing on the biggest stages after being selected for the Swim England Talent Pathway.
Kirsty Neill, Ella Greatbatch, Molly Greatbatch and Elliot Hall have been named on the programme which aims to identify, support and enhance the development of athletes for the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games of the future.
Fantastic long-course 200m individual medley performances in the first half of the year ensured Molly Greatbatch and Hall, both 12, were selected to attend step two of the pathway, the Regional Development Programme. They will join the East region's top swimmers – 24 male and 24 female – at a series of workshops focused on improving their skills in and out of the water.
Ella Greatbatch, 14, secured her place at step three, the Swim England National Age Group Development Programme, for a second year with some superb long-course breaststroke displays.
She is currently ranked seventh in Britain for her age group in the long-course 200m breaststroke, eighth in 100m breaststroke and 19th in 50m breaststroke.
As well as continuing to improve abilities across all strokes, the NAGDP additionally focuses on tactical awareness, race process goals, self-awareness and self-reflection.
Neill, 15, has moved to step four of the pathway, Swim England National Youth Development Programme.
She also dominates in breaststroke and is currently second in Britain in the long-course 200m breaststroke, eighth in 100m breaststroke and 13th in 50m breaststroke in her age group.
Neill will be able to focus on her technical and tactical racing skills as well as her understanding of how training processes in the pool and on land underpin race-day performance.