MMU Swimming Team, photo credit: Alex Thurston

MMU Swimming Team brings home gold at BUCS Nationals

  • MMU's swimming team won one gold and two bronze medals at the BUCS Nationals
  • BUCS Nationals Long Course was hosted at Ponds Forge, Sheffield (17th-19th February 2017)

BUCS Nationals Long Course- MMU Swimming team at Ponds Forge, Sheffield (17th/18th/19th February 2017)

MMU swimming team claim one gold and two bronze medals at BUCS Nationals, and have more A finalists than before.

MMU Swimming Team, photo credit: Alex Thurston
(photo credit: Alex Thurston)

At Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield, the MMU swimming team competed in a number of events including breaststroke, backstroke and relay.

On Saturday, MMU scholar Chloe Golding, 18, came in third place, winning a bronze medal in the 50m and 200m backstroke finals.

MMU Swimming Team, photo credit: Alex Thurston
(photo credit: Alex Thurston)

Golding said: “It was really tough because it’s been a really long day. I’m happy with the result. I was only just off my personal best in the 50m and in my 200m I was quicker than were I was this time last year so maybe things are looking up in a few weeks for trials.”

Golding won gold in the 100m backstroke final event the following Sunday.

Emma Smithurst, 26, MMU Swimming Coach said: “It’s been a good weekend, the whole team has stepped up and everyone’s performed really well. We’ve had 3 medals.

Chloe Golding won tonight so that was really good and good for the team. I think that’s helped boost the rest of the team. Chloe got two bronze medals yesterday. We’ve had more A finalists than we had at short course champs in November.

The Mens relay team have stepped up and they’re A finals whereas they weren’t at short course. We’ve had more A individual finalists this time. We have BUCS team champs here in 4 weeks’ time and we’ll put a team together for that.

For the majority of the team they will have competitions throughout the year because they have nationals and British Champs. Chloe will have British trials in the middle of April so that’s what her focus will be. That will be for qualifying for common wealth games and world championships.”

BUCS Nationals 2017 was held in Sheffield mid-February. MMU scholars and athletes compete with other British universities for a chance to win medals and record official times, goals or wins depending on the sport. Athletes also compete against GB athletes.