The following is a press release courtesy of Scottish Swimming:
The Scottish Gas Short Course Championships, taking place from 12 to 14 December at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh, will be the perfect opportunity for the Scottish crowds to once again raise the roof and bring back the electrifying atmosphere of the Commonwealth Games this summer. Heralded as one of the most hotly contested races this summer in the pool, Michael Jamieson and Ross Murdoch will for the first time go head to head again to battle it out for the Scottish Title.
Murdoch, who narrowly missed out on the European Title afterwards, is excited to be back racing on home soil: “I always look forward to the Scottish Gas National Short Course Championships. It’s a really competitive event that attracts the countries’ top swimmers, but there’s also a feeling of fun with it being so near to Christmas. While I’m looking forward to racing at the World Championships in Doha, the Royal Commonwealth Pool is a great venue and I can’t wait to be part of the action in Edinburgh.”
Hannah Miley, one of only three women to successfully defend a Commonwealth Title, will also be back to wow the crowds, alongside 13-year old Erraid Davies, hailing from Shetland to became Scotland’s youngest ever athlete to win a medal at Commonwealth Games with her bronze medal over 100m breaststroke (SB9). Davies commented, “2014 has been an amazing year, one that I will always remember. I really love racing and the Scottish Nationals will be another opportunity to be part of a great event. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the event start at as little as £3 for the heats and £4 for the finals, making it affordable for everyone to enjoy the swimming this Christmas. A limited number of day tickets are available to enjoy a full day of swimming at only £7 for concessions and £11 for full price tickets. All tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite without any additional fees. Morning heats start at 08:45, afternoon heats at 13:15 and finals at 17:30. All information about the event can be found online at www.scottishswimming.com/
Speaking ahead of the Championships Forbes Dunlop, Scottish Swimming’s Chief Executive Officer, said,
“These Championships are widely recognised as the premier short course event in the UK and already attract a large, quality field of swimmers. After a superb summer of success at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships this is a great opportunity for the people of Scotland to see some fantastic racing and support their athletes once again. We are thankful about the support from the City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Leisure to host this event and look forward to jointly develop the event in the future.”