News

Eighteen year old Ewan Johnston made an impressive start to his senior international swimming career with two lifetime best swims on the opening night of action at the Missouri Grand Prix Meet in America.  Representing Scotland for the first time since progressing from the Junior ranks, Ewan got the seven strong Scottish team off to a great start with a 53.16 PB swim in the men's 100m freestyle.  The field was stacked with talent and Ewan learnt some valuable lessons as he watched Matt Grevers swim the second fastest time in the world this year with 48.5 and Brazilian Cesar Cielo knock out a 49.0 heat swim.

The competition is using the evening heats / morning finals format to help athletes practice what they will face if they make it to Beijing in August, and Ewan showed he is certainly capable of swimming fast evening heats as he followed up his 100m free swim with a further best time of 4:01.47 in the 400m freestyle.  This placed Ewan 17th overall and gave him a well earned swim in the 'C' final in the morning.  Just ahead of Ewan, and racing in the 'B' final will be Lewis Smith who placed 12th overall with 3:59.72.  Lewis will also race the 'B' final of the 200m butterfly following his 14th placed heat swim of 2:03.12.  World record holder and six time Olympic champion Michael Phelps headed the qualifiers in 1:55.2.

Billy Purnell is the third Warrender swimmer wearing Scottish colours in Missouri this weekend, and the morning finals will also see him in action after a 17th place finish of 2:07.54 in the men's 200m backstroke.  Further updates will follow.