Step Rock swimmers excel at the national level

It was a meeting which attracted some of the best open water swimmers from across the country with the St Andrews club proving they were more than capable of performing at that standard.

Each of the 11 swimmers rose to the challenge of competing at a national level.

Two of the swimmers became Scottish champions, Freya Edie in the one kilomatre and Eva Stuart in the 500 metres.

Both swimmers overcame their pre-race nerves and raced superbly to take the individual gold medals in their age groups.

Fraser Stewart and Rowan Geary took on the longest event of the day, the 5km swim, their longest competitive swims to date.

A Step Rock Swimming Club spokesman hailed the performances, saying: “A great start from both swimmers, and impressive stamina over the distance landed them a silver and bronze respectively.”

Joining Edie in the 1km girls’ race, were Maia Staal, Elsie Kushner and Amelia Saaed.

“All adapted brilliantly to the conditions, including the submerged weeds, recording their first swims over the distance,” added the spokesman.

In the boys’ 1km event, a superb start and confident use of sighting skills to swim a straighter route than many of his older rivals, saw Finch Geary rewarded with a bronze medal in the 14/15 age group.

The final individual event of the day was the 2km.

Oscar Geary, still only 11, was competing in the 12-13 age group, and showed no sign of nerves to finish in silver medal position

The impressive Stewart secured his second individual medal, taking third in the 14/15 gategory whilst Finch Geary raced to fifth, another impressive swim from the 13-year old.

Undaunted by the strong competition on the startlist of their 2km, Hannah Staal, fourth in the in 16/17, and Freya Hedley, bronze in 14/15 showed great determination and open water racing nous.

As always, the championships concluded with the relays.

The Step Rock Swimming Club B team of Oscar Geary, Kushner, Maia Staal and Finch Geary were the youngest team in the event and they again demonstrated open water skills way beyond their tender years.

The A team of Hannah Staal, Hedley, Rowan Geary and Stewart all played their part, the team finishing second behind an exceptionally strong Garioch (Inverurie) team

“With a final medal tally of two individual golds, one team and two individual silvers, and four individual bronzes the commitment of these swimmers to their training is evident, but what made this national championships so special was the resilience and team spirit in abundance - another superb day for the volunteer-led St Andrews-based club,” added the club spokesman following the event.