LOCAL swimmer, Rachel Williams, has been selected to be a part of the Welsh team at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Rachel will be making her Commonwealth debut as part of the 4x100m freestyle relay and will be competing with her team members at the Tollcross Aquatic Centre.
Her success follows on from being crowned British champion in her age category at the British Gas ASA National Championships last year as she claimed a gold, silver and two bronze medals. She continued to impress earlier this year as she claimed a seventh place finish in the open British Championships in Glasgow.
Rachel said, “It feels like a dream and I can’t believe I have been selected; it’s amazing. I still haven’t come down from the excitement but I am training hard as usual. The timing of the games means that the season is in full flow anyway so I am in my usual training cycle but now I know I have a major competition to work towards. Before that I have an event in Manchester before heading to Glasgow.
“I was at training when I found out about my selection as one of my friends come over to me to say I was on the list and immediately I felt a huge sigh of relief as I wanted it so much. I will be competing in the 4x100m freestyle so my target is to help the team as much as I can and we will aim to reach the final and once you’re there, you never know what can happen and obviously you target a medal.”
The chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Council for Wales, Chris Jenkins said, “The seven pre-selected swimmers aside, it is a very young and relatively inexperienced team and we’re delighted to be able to give them such invaluable experience on the world stage and to see how they perform and deliver for Wales.”
Rachel’s journey to becoming an international star began at Melksham Blue Pool when she was just five years old and she is now an unfunded athlete. She is looking for sponsorship to help her train and reach her potential in competitions.
If you would like to sponsor Rachel contact the Melksham News at news@melksham news.co.uk and we will pass it on to her.
