Dearing gets campaign off to a flyer

YOUNG marathon swimmer Alice Dearing got her 2021 campaign off to a flying start at the first leg of the FINA/CNSG Marathon Swim World Series in Doha.

Taking place in the Qatari capital, the event was the first international marathon event for over a year, but Dearing showed no sign of rustiness, leading the way for the four strong Great Britain team that were the first to travel to an overseas competition since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.

The race, which got underway at 6am and required wetsuits, saw Dearing produce a quality 12th place finish.

In contention throughout, the 23-year-old picked up where she left off 12 months ago, where she finished in ninth position, the Loughborough based swimmer delivered a very similar level of performance, tucked in at the back of the lead group coming into the finish but unable to muscle her way into medal contention.

After so long out of open water competition, Dearing was naturally pleased with her efforts.

“I was really excited to be back racing after 13 months, which was here in Doha in 2020 and it was a really positive result. I’ve just spoken to my coach and we know what we need to work on already – I think I was going into the last lap in 26th place and ended up coming 12th – so we’re now looking to make sure I can swim further up and hopefully pick off the same amount of people.

“I’m really excited by that race and I think it shows everything is going to come together when I need it to and it’s a good confidence booster ahead of the qualification event in May, which I’m really excited to go to and hopefully qualify for the Olympics.”

The men’s race followed a similar pattern to most at this level, with a large pack coming into the final lap before the pace was upped and the whittling down effect occurred.

Loughborough’s Jack Burnell was in the mix for the most part, but slipped back in the closing stages to finish up in 24th position.