Swimmers set for world short course championships

Two swimmers from the University of Stirling’s high-performance swim programme will next week compete in the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m).

Angharad Evans will swim for Great Britain while Paige van der Westhuizen will represent Zimbabwe at the short course competition, which takes place December 10 to 15 in Budapest.

Evans and van der Westhuizen both competed at this summer’s Olympics in Paris. In Budapest, Evans will swim the 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke, and van der Westhuizen the 100m and 200m Freestyle.

The University’s coaching staff will also travel to the Hungarian capital, with Brad Hay selected for Great Britain alongside Stirling’s former Head Performance Swim Coach Steve Tigg, now Head Swim Coach of Aquatics GB, while Josh Williamson will coach with Zimbabwe. Ben Higson, who is replacing Tigg as Head Performance Swim Coach, is also in Budapest with the Australian team.

Brad Hay, High Performance Swim Coach at the University of Stirling, said: “The selection of Angharad and Paige for the World Aquatics Swimming Championships is testament to their continued high levels of performance in the pool and their dedication to training, preparation and competition. We are proud that they will be travelling to Budapest and look forward to seeing them perform on the international stage.

“I am also pleased to be selected for Team GB and, along with the wider coaching staff, will be doing all I can to support our athletes in achieving their goals and delivering success for the team.”

David Bond, Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, said: “It is excellent to see the University well represented at the Championships. We congratulate our swimmers and coaches on their selection and are excited to see what they can achieve in the pool over the week.”

The University of Stirling offers a world-leading high-performance swim programme, which provides athletes with a bespoke package of world-class coaching, access to state-of-the-art facilities, performance mentoring and access to the latest innovations in sports research. Those on scholarships can also benefit from academic flexibility to support their education alongside their sporting ambitions. Hay and Williamson coach on the programme alongside Charlie Boldison and current athletes include Duncan Scott, Kathleen Dawson, Jack McMillan and Katie Shanahan.