Thursday 10 October 2024
 6.4°C   N Fresh Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Sport / Olympic swimmer dives in for Lerwick visit

Olympic swimmer Katie Shanahan was a guest of Lerwick Amateur Swimming Club on Thursday. Photo: Kevin Jones

AN OLYMPIC swimmer was in the isles on Thursday to give the next generation of swimming talent tips for succeeding in the pool. 

Katie Shanahan, who competed at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris for Great Britain, was in Shetland as a guest of Lerwick Amateur Swimming Club.

The club won the coveted Scottish Swimming Club of the Year award in 2023, with a visit from an Olympian one of the perks of the prize.

Shanahan was given a tour of the isles early in the morning by club chairwoman Inga Geddes, even visiting the Lerwick Up Helly Aa galley shed, before she held a question and answer session in the afternoon.

Members from Shetland swimming clubs Delting Dolphins, South Mainland ASC, Shetland Hurricanes and Westside Sharks were also invited to attend.

The club said Shanahan was grilled on everything from sleep patterns to what her favourite food in the Paris Olympic village had been.

The 20-year-old, from Glasgow, then took part in Lerwick ASC’s swimming session on Thursday night.

She even gave the young swimmers a once in a lifetime opportunity to race against an Olympic swimmer, taking to the pool for her favoured medley event.

Lerwick ASC presented Shanahan with a bracelet from Shetland Jewellery in appreciation of her visit.

The club said she was “a truly down-to-earth, friendly, relatable young woman” and a “real ambassador” for swimming. “We have been absolutely honoured to have her visit us,” it added.

Olympic swimmer Katie Shanahan with a large group of Lerwick ASC’s swimmers during Katie’s visit to Shetland on Thursday, which was arranged through Scottish Swimming as part of Lerwick ASC’s Club of The Year 2023 celebrations. Photo: Kevin Jones

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.