A Salford swimmer is aiming high after being chosen to represent Great Britain at the European Youth Olympic Festival, which starts this Sunday.
Lewis Clough, 15, is part of a 44 strong team heading to Utrecht in the Netherlands. All competitors are aged between 13 and 17.
The teenager – who competes for City of Salford Swimming Club – wants to make the most of his opportunity.
He said: “I’m definitely excited to be picked. I think the team will do really well. There are a lot of good athletes across all the sports. I’m looking forward to meeting people from the other sports.
“In the future, I would like to go to the Olympics. There’s also a lot of big tournaments like the Commonwealth Games to aim for. For now, I want to carry on being picked for national competitions.”
The multi-discipline swimmer is ranked highest in freestyle but also competes in butterfly and backstroke, and he has been swimming seriously for the past five years.
His training has progressively increased over the years and he now has in-pool sessions seven times a week as well as two in the gym doing weights and circuit training.
“I started by doing normal swimming lessons. My coach said I had a talent and it went from there really. I train in the morning now too. It was tough getting up at 4.30am at first. The weather was bad and it was snowing. Now it’s second nature to be up at that time,” said Lewis.
Set to represent his country before he can buy a lottery ticket, does he see any chance of reaching the next Olympic Games in Rio in three years time?
“I think Rio is a bit too soon, but you never know. It seems a long way off, I will be 18 by then. Some of the girls at London 2012 were younger than that so it is possible,” he said.
Team GB’s athletes will compete in five sports – swimming, judo, cycling, gymnastics and tennis. Both the double Olympic champion swimmer Rebecca Adlington and gymnast Sam Oldham, who won bronze in the team event at London 2012, competed at the EYOF.
Other nations will contest events in volleyball, handball, basketball and athletics Like the ‘grown-up’ Olympics, the competitors will live together in the athletes’ village.
Swimming team leader Mark Perry said: “We have a history of winning lots of medals in swimming at EYOF and long may that continue. We have selected the best of what Britain has to offer and they all have bright futures ahead of them.”
Photo courtesy of Andrew Clough, with thanks
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