Kara’s worth considering for Commonwealth Games
Western Isles swimmer Kara Hanlon has won the British Championship 100m breaststroke, setting a new Scottish record and a time to be considered for Commonwealth Games qualification.
Kara, 23, from Lewis, who swims for the University of Edinburgh, was competing at the British Swimming Championships at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, where she had already secured a bronze medal in the 50 metre breaststroke and the 200m breaststroke.
But it was in her best event that she claimed her gold, in a nail-biting final race where just 0.11 seconds separated the top three swimmers.
Kara said: 'I’m really happy and proud to have become British Champion in the 100m breaststroke and to do it in a new personal best, a new Scottish record and under the consideration time for the Commonwealth Games. I couldn’t have asked for much more.
‘It would be an absolute honour and dream come true to represent the Western Isles and Team Scotland in Birmingham this summer. I can’t thank everyone who has supported me enough.’
Scottish Swimming tweeted its congratulations soon after the result, praising her great swimming all week while, closer to home, Roddie Mackay, leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, added his good wishes: ‘Kara is a tremendous success story for the islands. Congratulations to her and everyone involved.
‘She is an outstanding athlete and we all wish her continuing success.’
In a pre-meet interview on YouTube’s Propulsion Swimming podcast channel https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=LV8sNeI5xKE Kara explained how she made her early training count, by travelling to Ness four times a week to train in the 12.5 metre pool at Lionel School, between the ages of 14 and 18.
‘It shows that you can come from any background and, if you really love what you do, you can do anything,’ she said.