Young swimmers to take on Olympic stars
YOUNG swimmers will get a ‘once in a lifetime’ chance to race against Olympic rivals - including gold medallist and world record holder Adam Peaty.
Members of Satellites Swimming Club, based at Macclesfield Leisure Centre, will host a Sprint with the Stars event on September 21.
It will feature 50m races for backstroke, freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly for seven age groups ranging from nine to open age (16 and over).
And the final in each section will pit the seven fastest against an elite swimmer with Peaty – who clinched the 100m breaststroke gold at the World Aquatics Championships on Monday – James Guy and Freya Anderson among those taking part.
To make it a fair fight,
club members will get a headstart and the elite athletes will have also swum in back-to-back races. The event has been organised by Adam Frost, who is a member of the club but also an elite swimmer who trains with some of the guests.
He said: “It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to race some of the world’s best swimmers in a friendly and exciting atmosphere!”
The line-up of elite swimmers taking part is Harriet West and James Guy (butterfly), Jessica Fullalove and Luke Greenbank (backstroke) Sarah Vasey and Adam Peaty (breaststroke) and Freya Anderson and Timothy Shuttleworth (freestyle).
The club, which was founded in 1972, is hosting the event to raise the funds to help it continue to run affordable swimming for people of all abilities. It has more than 230 members. And it is looking for businesses to help by sponsoring a race.
Anyone interested in doing so can contact fundraising@ swimsatellite. co.uk.