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The competition itself was held at the Thammasat University swimming
pool just outside Bangkok, Thailand, and took place over three days
on Friday 20, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June.
Charlie took part in five events
over the three-day competition, competing in the 50m, 100m and 200m
freestyle and also in the 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly. He came
3rd in the 50m freestyle in 24:50 seconds, 1st in the 100m with
52:81secs and 2nd in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1.55:97. He
managed to gain three places from his seeding in the 50m backstroke
to finish 2nd in 28:17 seconds and 4th in the 50m butterfly with a
time of 26:92 seconds.
Charlie has been swimming since he
was four years old, firstly with the ‘City Swim’ programme of
lessons at the Regional Pool, where he learned the basics of the
sport. At the age of seven, Charlie joined the City of Peterborough
Swimming Club (Cops), while still attending Saturday morning lessons
with City Swim. He joined the squads at Cops when he was nine years
old and started training regularly and competing.
The South East Asian age groups
championship is not the first time Charlie has competed in a major
event. His first international competition was the World Short
Course Championships in Manchester. Following his recent success in
Bangkok, it is likely that he will be competing in the South-East
Asian Championships in Vientiene, in Laos in 2009.
Charlie said: “I was extremely happy
with my performance in Thailand as I arrived in the country just two
days before the competition, so I had to adjust to the time
difference and the food as quickly as possible.
“I was a bit apprehensive about how
I would fare against the other countries as I don't have many
opportunities to see their swimmers compete, but in the end I've
come to realise that we're all in the same league. I would have
loved the chance to compete in Beijing, for the Olympics this year,
but that's out of reach for now. I want to get a South-East Asia
medal and then qualify for London 2012. Competing at the Olympic
Games is my ultimate goal.”
Councillor Matthew Lee, Cabinet
Member for Community Services, added: “I’m immensely proud of
Charlie’s achievements in Thailand and hopeful that he will realise
his dream of competing in the 2021 Olympics in London. I’m also very
pleased that Peterborough has the sporting facilities available for
young people like Charlie to train for competitions and to reach
their full potential.”
Earlier this year, the City of
Peterborough Swimming Club (COPS) was awarded top marks in a recent
assessment by the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA). The award,
known as 'Swim 21', is a Quality Mark that recognises the club's
commitment to providing safe, effective and quality services for the
benefit of its members.
Swim 21 is endorsed by both the ASA
and Sport England and the awarding of Swim 21 Accreditation includes
the Sport England Clubmark, a kite mark used and recognised across
all sports. COPS has been accredited at 'Competitive Development
Level' the highest level the club could achieve. It is the only
swimming club in Cambridgeshire to gain this level of award. For
more information about the club and how you can join, take a look at
their website at
www.copsclub.co.uk
July 2008 -
Peterborough UK Community Website
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