Lanark swimmers to star for GB at Deaflympics

Lanark Swimming Club's Shiona McClafferty (centre) receives a Â£1000 cheque from The Rotary Club of LanarkÂ’s Senior Vice President Neil Gainford and Roddy McKenzie of Sport Aid Scotland. The donation will support Shiona as she prepares to fly out to Turkey for The Deaflympics in Samsun, July 2017. (Submitted pic)

Lanark Swimming Club head coach Karen Kelly is delighted that two of her proteges will be starring for Great Britain over the next few days.

Former Lanark ASC ace Jack McComish (22) and current member Shiona McClafferty (17) will be going for medals at the Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey, from July 20 to 26.

Karen said: “There are only three Scots in the 66-strong British squad and two of them come from Lanark.

“That is certainly a bit of a feather in the cap for the town.

“Jack spent all of his formative years as a Lanark member, before joining City of Glasgow Swimming Club around five years ago.

“Jack will be contesting breatstroke and relay events in Turkey and I think he stands an excellent chance of winning medals.

“Shiona will be doing breaststroke, freestyle and individual medleys as well as the relays and will be looking to qualify for finals.

“But it’s difficult to say how well they’ll do as you don’t know what the standard of opposition will be like.”

Jack and Shiona are completely deaf and so compete in the S15 non-Paralympic Games class.

As deaf swimming is not recognised as a Paralympic event, Jack and Shiona are required to self fund, unlike competitors in the rival S1 to S14 classes covering physical, visual and intellectual impairment.

So Shiona was extremely grateful to receive a £1000 grant on behalf of Lanark Rotary Club.

Karen added: “Shiona and her family are grateful for any money coming her way.

“But I think it is a bit off that this GB deaf team doesn’t get any internal funding.”