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Claire is aged 14 and is from Luton. In her chosen sport of swimming her achievements to date include:
Bronze in 2006 World Championships (200m individual medley).
Short course World Record Holder for 100m individual medley.
Please scroll down to read the latest updates and news from Claire.
Update (April 2009) by Claire
I’ve had a very busy start to 2009. Training has been going well, but it’s been very busy at school as well because I’ve got GCSEs this year.
In January I went to a World Class Talent training camp which was hard work but good fun. In February half term I went to Cyprus with my club for a week’s long course training in an outdoor 50m pool near Paphos. Now that was hard work! We trained twice a day, 2 hours per session, as well as having gym sessions, lectures and team bonding sessions. The weather was not fantastic, but OK – it did rain while we were training once or twice, but mostly it was great.
All the hard work paid off because a week after coming home I took 5 minutes off the existing S6 1500m British Record at the Bedfordshire County Championships – my first British Record in my new classification. As you can imagine I was really pleased with that. The weekend after I was up in Sheffield for the Disability Sport Events Junior National Championships. This is a compulsory competition for me. I was part of the East Region team and I wanted to do some good times – which I did, especially taking nearly 20 seconds off my 400m freestyle personal best and being part of the 34pt 400m medley relay team which broke the British Record. The East Region took the “Top Team” award as well.
There was no time to rest and the weekend after I was back competing at the second weekend of the Bedfordshire County Championships and this time I broke both the 800m freestyle and the 200m backstroke S6 British Records. Three days later I was back up in Sheffield for the British Championships. Because of exams I could only do two events, 200m I.M. and 100m backstroke, but I swam good personal bests in both and got into the multi-disability final for the 100m backstroke where I swam a personal best again to take 7th place which I was really pleased with.
After a weekend off in the middle of March it was time for the final weekend of the County Championships and I finished off with another British Record in the S6 100m butterfly and another personal best in 100m backstroke. To finish the month with 5 British Records and good performances at the British Championships makes all the hard work worthwhile.
Lots of hard training in front of me now with three major long course competitions coming up, including the British International Disability Championships (and of course my GCSEs) so I’m just working really hard. I have another World Class Talent training camp in June (just after I finish my last exam) and at the beginning of July, with my exams behind me, I’m going to Swansea for the week to train with one of the British Swimming coaches. Hopefully this long course training will contribute towards some good performances at the National Championships at the end of July. I’m not really looking past there at the moment, but my goal for 2010 is to qualify for the World Championships which take place in August of that year. I’m really pleased with how my 100m backstroke is going, but I still need to make some big improvements if I’m going to make the team, but having taken 9 seconds off since April last year I know that if I work hard and continue to improve I’m in with a shot.
Update (February 2009) by Claire
The second half of 2008 was very tough because just before the start of the second Paralympic trials for Beijing I was re-classified from a 5 to a 6. This change put me out of the running for Beijing and also meant I didn’t have any qualification times for the World Class Programme. However, British Swimming have been great and kept me on the programme for the remainder of 2008 to give me a chance to re-qualify in my new classification for 2009. Although I was upset at being re-classified, it does happen and you just have to get on with it.
One major effect of the re-classification was I had to drop two of my best events – the 50m backstroke and 200m freestyle and instead compete in the 100m backstroke and 400m freestyle. This has meant a major shift in my training and has been a long-haul, but it is now starting to pay off. At the Paralympic trials I had to swim in my new classification and I was really pleased to go out and swim some personal bests, despite everything that has happened.
I trained hard throughout the rest of 2008 and it all paid off in November when I swam a qualification time for the 2009 World Class Programme at the Disability Sport Events Short Course National Championships – and I did it in 100m backstroke which was a new event for me. I was so pleased to get that time!
So, it’s onwards and upwards. Training is going well and I’m off to Cyprus soon for a week’s warm weather training, then back home and it’s the British Championships in the middle of March. I’m only doing two events because the competition clashes with my GCSE Visual Arts exams which are being held that week, but the school agreed to re-schedule 4 hours of the exam so I can compete up in Sheffield for two days. It’s going to be a busy year, with exams, but I am determined to keep improving.
Update (December 2007) by Claire
I’ve had a great end to the year. At the Welsh Nationals at the beginning of December I swam some good personal bests, especially in the 50m backstroke which is a possible event for me at Beijing and also in 50m butterfly where I took 1.5 seconds off my British Record. I’ve also just heard that I’ve been confirmed onto the World Class Development Programme for 2008.
Unfortunately I didn’t make the final 3 for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year but it was a real honour to make the final 10. However the disappointment of this was made up by the fact that I received a Junior National Sports Award from the Nationwide Building Society at the Manchester United’s Old Trafford football ground this month.
Training is going well and the pressure and intensity is starting to build up towards the Paralympic trials next March and April. I will go into the first trials off the back of a week’s warm weather training in Spain and I am hoping this will be beneficial to my racing.
2007 has gone well – I’ve improved my times in all my events and I’m looking forward to the trials and hoping to swim well.
Update (November 2007) by Claire
Since I last did an update at the end of August, I’ve been busy working very hard at my training. I did a long course competition with my club at the end of September and was very pleased with a good PB in 200m freestyle.
I spent my October half term holiday in Manchester and Swansea. In Manchester I was on a 3-day long course training camp with the British Swimming Development Squad and then my Mum took me down to Swansea to spend the week with my British Swimming coach, Billy Pye. I had a great week down there.
At the beginning of November I went to Sheffield for the Disability Sport Events short course National Championships. Again, I was pleased with my PBs and especially pleased that I broke my 50m butterfly short course British Record by nearly 4 seconds.
The major news this week is that I’ve heard that I’ve made the final 10 shortlist for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2007. The BBC came to interview me yesterday and filmed me training. It’s all on the BBC Switch website http://www.bbc.co.uk/switch/yspoty/
I’ve now got to wait until the 19th November as that’s when the decision is made on the top 3 who get invited to the sports awards at the NEC in December.
Update (August 2007) by Claire
August has been a really busy month for me. It started with the ASA National Championships and I was really pleased to get a silver medal in the 200m freestyle. All the disability swimmers were competing in multi-disability events where all classifications swim together and the one closest to their own world record takes the honours. 200m freestyle is an event I’m targeting for next year’s Beijing Paralympics trials so it was great to swim a personal best and take the silver medal.
Three days after the National Championships I flew out to Slovenia with the British Swimming Development Squad for week’s long course training camp. They worked us really hard and also gave us some really good tips. It was also my friend’s birthday whilst we were out there and we got to celebrate, which was really good. We also got to train in a pool that overlooked the sea which was really cool.
I came back from Slovenia and just over 12 hours later flew out to Cyprus for a week’s holiday with my Mum and Dad. The weather was great and I had a good rest. Back at home I did some training with my club and then went to Coventry for 4 days for the UK School Games. I had been selected for the England East team to swim the multi-disability 200m I.M. and I got a silver medal which I was pleased about. The Games were brilliant, great fun and a really good experience. I enjoyed the opening and closing ceremonies, I met loads of athletes from all over the UK and we all met some great personalities. I went to a question and answer session given by James Hickman (five times World 200m Butterfly champion). I also saw Kelly Holmes, Tani Grey Thompson, Matt Hatton (Olympic Luge, twice Commonwealth and five times British Champion) and Daley Thompson.
It’s back to normal training now and I’ve got lots of work to do before my next big competition in Sheffield at the beginning of November. I will also be spending a weekend in Manchester in October training long course and I’m going to Swansea during half term to train with my British Swimming coach.
Claire with Sir Steven Redgrave.
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Photograph by Gordon Whorwood.
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Hi everyone - I’ve been training hard in June, preparing for the ASA National Championships at the end of July. I also went to Manchester at the end of the month for a three-day British Swimming training camp with the rest of the GB Development Squad. I really enjoy these training weekends as I get some great coaching from some top coaches.
There has been a major change here. At the end of June I moved clubs from Luton SC to Flitwick SC as I realised that if I was going to continue to improve I needed to change coaches. My new club is great, the training is fun, but good and I have already made some new friends. I now have to travel further for my training, but I’m hoping it will pay off.
I’ve also had some wicked news. I’ve been selected to represent the South East of England at the UK School Games in Coventry at the end of August. I’m going to compete in the 200m I.M., the event I won my bronze medal in at the IPC World Championships last year, but this time I will be swimming against other swimmers in different classifications and the winner will be the one closest to their own World Record. So August is going to be a really busy month for me. While most of my school friends will be enjoying their summer holiday I will be hard at work! I’ve got the National Championships in Sheffield, a three-day break, then I fly out to Slovenia with the GB Development Squad for a warm-weather training camp, then it’s back to the UK and up to Coventry for the UK School Games! We get to stay in an athlete’s village and there are opening and closing ceremonies. It meant to be just like the Olympics and Paralympics and there will be over 1300 athletes they’re competing in eight sports.
Update (21 April 2007) from Sue (Claire's Mum)
3/4th March 2007 - Disability Sport Events Junior National Championships, Sheffield:
- World, European, British Record SM5 100m I.M. (5 second PB)
- European, British Record SM5 200m I.M. (19 second PB)
- British record and 15-year-old development time S5 50m butterfly
- British record S5 50m backstroke (breaking a record last set in 1998)
- 7 individual gold medals, 7 PBs, 1 relay gold medal
- Outstanding Female Performance trophy in the Girls 14-17 year age group and Nationwide Junior Sports Award
One week after this Claire was swimming with her club at the Bedfordshire ASA County Championships. This is an able-bodied event, but Claire can compete to gain times and as it was IPC approved this year she can claim disability records and her times can be entered on the IPC rankings. At this event she again broke her SM5 100m I.M. World Record, taking nearly 7 seconds off the time she set the previous week, and then went onto break her European record in the SM5 200m I.M., taking 4 seconds off the time set the previous week.
At the second weekend of the Bedfordshire County Championships (24th/25th March), Claire set a new short course World Record in the S5 100m butterfly and a new British Record in the S5 100m backstroke.
At the British National Long Course Championships during the last week of March she swam personal bests in all of her events, broke her S5 50m butterfly British record twice (once in the heats, again in the final), and broke her 200m I.M. British Record which she set at the World Championships in Durban last December.
To the right is a photo taken at the IPC World Championships in Durban in December last year. This shows Claire on the podium, having received her bronze medal in the SM5 200m I.M.