Latest news with #MountKelly
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
European junior champion Kinsman has Olympic ambitions
European junior 50m backstroke champion Blythe Kinsman hopes her title will help propel her to the 2028 Olympic Games. The 18-year-old, who trains at Mount Kelly in Devon, also won gold in the 4x100m mixed medley relay, as well as a bronze in the 100m backstroke in Slovakia. Advertisement The 50m backstroke has been included in the Olympic Games programme for the first time in Los Angeles in three years' time. "I'm really excited that they've been added into the schedule at the Olympics," Kinsman told BBC South West. "I definitely have my eyes set on the 50m but also the 100m and maybe some other events which I might progress through the rankings in, so we'll see." Kinsman is one of 32 swimmers in the Team GB Podium Potential squad which sees swimmers who may make the next Olympics brought into the national fold. It is in addition to the British Podium squad for the country's top swimmers. Advertisement "Being in the GB pathway means that they have belief in you, that you can get to the level of swimming at the Olympic Games and potentially medal," she said. "So to be recognised as an athlete of that standard is really inspirational for me because there's so many athletes on that list that I looked up to when I was so young, so the fact that they have belief in me that I can be as good as them really means a lot to me." Kinsman is set to move to Manchester to join the Aquatics GB performance centre [BBC] Kinsman was one of eight Mount Kelly swimmers from a variety of nations that were selected for last week's European Junior Championships in Slovakia. Advertisement Edie Price won silver in the 200m butterfly for Great Britain, while Poland's Flawia Kamzol won the 50m butterfly - in total, swimmers from the college won 10 medals. "I think supporting our athletes here, not just as athletes, but as people, and guiding them through this journey is a really important thing for us," said Mount Kelly's assistant director of swimming Greg King-Limb. "They do need guidance, they are still children at the end of the day, and I think that's a big part of the programme which we do really well is making sure they are nurtured and looked after over some pretty difficult, challenging years." Kinsman will soon leave to take up a place at Aquatics GB's performance centre in Manchester, where Olympic gold medallists such as James Guy and Matt Richards train. Advertisement And while Mount Kelly will soon say goodbye to Kinsman, they are happy to have helped her get into a position where an Olympic dream has the potential to become reality. "You get to this point now where with Blythe she's 18, she's ready to fly the nest," director of swimming Emma Collings-Barnes adds. "We've done everything we can for her and that's appreciated by her and her parents. "We know that we couldn't have done anything else so actually it's okay - all we want Blythe to do is go on and reach her full potential and we've opened those doors for her to be able to do that, so it's now someone else's time to take on Blythe and all her wonderful habits and challenges as well."
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
European junior champion Kinsman has Olympic ambitions
European junior 50m backstroke champion Blythe Kinsman hopes her title will help propel her to the 2028 Olympic 18-year-old, who trains at Mount Kelly in Devon, also won gold in the 4x100m mixed medley relay, as well as a bronze in the 100m backstroke in 50m backstroke has been included in the Olympic Games programme for the first time in Los Angeles in three years' time."I'm really excited that they've been added into the schedule at the Olympics," Kinsman told BBC South West. "I definitely have my eyes set on the 50m but also the 100m and maybe some other events which I might progress through the rankings in, so we'll see."Kinsman is one of 32 swimmers in the Team GB Podium Potential squad which sees swimmers who may make the next Olympics brought into the national is in addition to the British Podium squad for the country's top swimmers."Being in the GB pathway means that they have belief in you, that you can get to the level of swimming at the Olympic Games and potentially medal," she said. "So to be recognised as an athlete of that standard is really inspirational for me because there's so many athletes on that list that I looked up to when I was so young, so the fact that they have belief in me that I can be as good as them really means a lot to me." Kinsman was one of eight Mount Kelly swimmers from a variety of nations that were selected for last week's European Junior Championships in Slovakia. Edie Price won silver in the 200m butterfly for Great Britain, while Poland's Flawia Kamzol won the 50m butterfly - in total, swimmers from the college won 10 medals."I think supporting our athletes here, not just as athletes, but as people, and guiding them through this journey is a really important thing for us," said Mount Kelly's assistant director of swimming Greg King-Limb."They do need guidance, they are still children at the end of the day, and I think that's a big part of the programme which we do really well is making sure they are nurtured and looked after over some pretty difficult, challenging years."Kinsman will soon leave to take up a place at Aquatics GB's performance centre in Manchester, where Olympic gold medallists such as James Guy and Matt Richards train. And while Mount Kelly will soon say goodbye to Kinsman, they are happy to have helped her get into a position where an Olympic dream has the potential to become reality. "You get to this point now where with Blythe she's 18, she's ready to fly the nest," director of swimming Emma Collings-Barnes adds."We've done everything we can for her and that's appreciated by her and her parents."We know that we couldn't have done anything else so actually it's okay - all we want Blythe to do is go on and reach her full potential and we've opened those doors for her to be able to do that, so it's now someone else's time to take on Blythe and all her wonderful habits and challenges as well."
Irish Independent
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Ireland's John Shortt makes the 50m backstroke final but Grace Davison misses out in 50m freestyle despite PB
The National Centre Limerick swimmer, the reigning European Junior Champion in the 200m backstroke, got his championships underway on Tuesday with a personal best swim in the 50m backstroke of 25.51. The 18-year-old, swimming in the second semi-final this evening, clocked 25.63 in a tight race for fourth to get him through to Wednesday's final in seventh overall. Neutral athlete Georgii Iakovlev is the top seed for Wednesday's 5.19pm (Irish time) final in 24.98. Despite a faster swim than in the morning and a personal best in the 200m freestyle, Ards' Grace Davison just missed out on a place in the decider by seven hundredths of a second. The Paris Olympian, whose best time stood at 2:00.63, touched in 2:00.17 for fifth in her heat and tenth overall. The Paris Olympian is back in action on Wednesday morning in the 50m freestyle heats. In the 50m breaststroke semi-final, Adam Bradley was home in 28.79 seconds for 16th place overall. The Mount Kelly swimmer will be back in action on Thursday in the 200m breaststroke. Also, in action on Wednesday is one of the youngest members of Team Ireland in Samorin. Lucy O'Brien makes her Ireland debut in the 100m butterfly and Phelim Hanley returns to action in the 200m individual medley after an excellent opening day swim in the 200m butterfly.
Arabian Business
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Arabian Business
UK 17-year-old swimmer Barnaby Ryder aims for historic Dubai World Islands attempt
British national-level swimmer Barnaby Ryder is preparing to make history as he aims to become the youngest person to swim around Dubai World Islands this February, ahead of his English Channel crossing planned for June 2025. The 17-year-old, who ranks sixth in UK open water swimming for under-18s, will attempt the 24-kilometre swim during his half-term break from Mount Kelly, one of the UK's leading swimming schools. 'I haven't stopped thinking about the Dubai World Islands swim since we got the green light to do it a few weeks ago,' Ryder—who lived in Dubai for ten years before returning to the UK—told Arabian Business in an exclusive interview. Men's mental health—a priority for Ryder 'I started my open water swimming in Dubai doing 1.6 km swims with my Dad as part of the open water events hosted by Super Sports,' the Gems World Academy and Brighton College Dubai alumnus said. The current record for circumnavigating the World Islands stands at 9 hours and 45 minutes, however, Ryder strongly believes he can surpass this benchmark. 'The current record of 9 hours and 45 minutes is very impressive, but I feel if the weather is on our side I can improve on that. However, the swim is not just about the time—it is about me completing the swim as the youngest person and gaining more experience. I know the pace I will need to be holding and have been practising it in training,' he said. The Dubai attempt serves as preparation for Ryder's main challenge: swimming the English Channel in June 2025, a feat he's dreamed of since age 12. 'I have been asking my parents to swim the English Channel since I was around 12. They kept saying 'wait till you are older and see if you still want to do it'. The urge to swim the Channel did not go away,' he explained. Ryder's Channel swim will raise funds for men's mental health research and awareness. When asked why this was a main objective, Ryder said: 'Even at the age of 17 I have seen far too many boys struggle in silence with mental health issues. The signs are not always as obvious as you would think. The charity I am swimming for focuses on ground-breaking research and raising awareness. I love the positive connection between good mental health and swimming, especially cold-water swimming,' he said. A day in the life of British teen swimmer Barnaby Ryder Ryder's training regime at Mount Kelly demonstrates the dedication required for such challenges. Starting at 5:15 AM daily, Ryder completes two-hour pool sessions, attends classes, participates in gym workouts, and even finds time to coach younger swimmers. His weekly schedule includes eight training sessions, totalling over 17 hours in the pool and covering approximately 50 kilometres. 'I keep my self-motivated during long swims and sessions by thinking of my goals and how each session and each meter swam I am progressing and getting closer to my dreams and goals,' he said adding that another big motivation for him is 'how much thinking time I get whilst I swim which helps me deal with other aspects of life. I also am motivated with how amazing I feel after I swim, the endorphin hit is incredible and makes you feel positive and happy like you could take on anything which I love.' However, the Channel swim is not without its challenges, with water temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius, no wet-suit permitted, and obstacles including currents, shipping lanes, weather conditions, and jellyfish, he revealed. Current winter training sees Ryder practising in 10-degree sea temperatures and sub-5-degree lakes. Ryder's journey is being documented through Lane4Podcast, available across listening platforms and Instagram, where followers can track his progress through races and training sessions leading up to the Channel crossing. His Dubai World Islands attempt will be supported by Super Sports and a team including his father. They will manage safety protocols and his nutrition strategy throughout the swim. 'I picked the Dubai World Islands swim because Dubai is a very special place for me having lived there for 10 years. So it feels like home in that sense,' he said.
