40 British Masters enter inaugural European Short Course Championships
November 10, 2023Some of Great Britain’s best Masters swimmers will fly out to Portugal to take part in the inaugural European Masters Short Course Swimming Championships next week.
40 British swimmers from 32 clubs across the UK have entered the competition with 161 individual swims from the British contingent.
The Championships will take place in Madeira with the action taking place both in the pool and in open water.
The event runs from Sunday 19 – Saturday 25 November at the Funchal Olympic Pools Complex with the Lido Bathing Complex hosting the two open water races – 1.5km and 3km.
An opening ceremony will get the competition underway with a host of relay action on the final day is set to close out the week long competition.
LEN have released the full schedule for the Championships, which you can find here.
On the hunt for more medals
The British group will be looking to continue their success on the international stage after winning more than 100 medals at the European long course Championships in Rome last year.
A number of those swimmers are returning for this event such as Spencer’s Amanda Heath who won three golds, one silver and broke two world records in Italy.
Also amongst the British contingent heading out to Portugal are a number of swimmers that won gold at the GoCardless Swim England Masters National Championships last month.
That includes Wellingborough swimmer Steve Grossman, Totnes’ Simon Veale and Warrender’s Ian McKay who were all amongst the record breakers at Ponds Forge.
Also heading to Madeira is 97-year-old swimmer Fiona Westcough. The Enfield Swim Squad member has entered both the Women’s 800m Freestyle and the 1.5km open water event.
You can watch and follow the Championships on the LEN YouTube channel throughout the seven days.
British swimmers that have entered the LEN European Masters Short Course Championships 2023
- Gareth Allen, East Leeds
- Ben Allsopp, Wycombe District
- Helen Andrews, South Downs Trojans Swimming Club
- Fiona Barras, Gateshead & Whickham
- Sarah Berry, Out to Swim
- Paul Callis, Kingston Upon Hull SC
- Shaun Challis, Lancing
- Tony Cherrington, Spencer
- Kim Collins, Wrexham
- Alice Eaton, Out To Swim Bristol
- Ceri Edwards, Portsmouth Northsea
- Jacob Ferry, Barnes Swim Club
- Sarah Fitzgerald-Smith, Reading SC
- Alistair Garmendier, Wildern Waves
- Steve Grossman, Wellingborough
- Dean Heaps, Preston Swimming Club
- Amanda Heath, Spencer
- Daniel John, Reading SC
- Benjamin Jones, Cardiff Masters
- Scott Lathorpe, Kenilworth Masters
- Nicola Latty, Holywell
- Adam LeLean, Diss Otters
- Sally LeLean, Diss Otters
- James MacTavish, City of Southampton
- Megan McDonagh, Otter
- Ian McKay, Warrender Baths Club
- Alex Metcalfe, Preston Swimming Club
- Catherine Munro, Winchester Penguins
- Alan Parkins, Crawley SC
- Hajnalka Rozsa Racz, Spencer
- Mark Robertson, Crawley SC
- Marcus Smallbone, Newquay Cormorants
- Peter Stephens, Spencer
- Kalon Veale, Totnes Swimming Club
- Simon Veale, Totnes Swimming Club
- Ian Wallace, Brentwood SC
- David Westcough, East Leeds
- Fiona Westcough, Enfield Swim Squad
- John Wood, Bristol Henleaze
- Ian Urquhart, City of Lincoln Pentaqua