A TALENTED youngster with Carnegie Swimming Club has completed a memorable season in the pool by making a splash at British level.

James Kilpatrick, 15, travelled to Sheffield to compete at the prestigious Aquatics GB Summer Championships 2024, where he contested seven events in the male 15 years age group, reaching two finals.

Held at the iconic Ponds Forge International Swimming Pool, he raced in the 50 and 100 metre backstroke, 50 and 100m freestyle, and 50, 100 and 200m butterfly races in his first experience of that meet.

Three personal best times were secured throughout the course of the competition, in which he reached the final of the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly, having posted heat times of 54.44 seconds and 58.07 respectively.

A swim of 54.75 saw him place ninth overall in the freestyle, whilst a time of 1:00.38 gave him a 10th place finish in the butterfly.

In the 50m and 200m butterfly, James posted heat times of 27.40 and 2:28.97, as well as 26.07 in the 50m freestyle, and 29.38 and 1:04.65 respectively in the 50m and 100m backstroke.

His experience at the Summer Championships, held from July 20-26, came after a hugely successful year.

Last month, he won junior gold in the 200m backstroke at the Scottish National Open Championships in Edinburgh, after which he became the 200m freestyle and 200m backstroke champion at the Scottish Summer Meet in Aberdeen, which took place from July 11-14.

In addition, James has been a member of the Scottish Swimming Youth Academy this year, and is hopeful of being selected again, or stepping up into the national junior team set-up, and has broken two East District records.

He has eclipsed the 100m butterfly short course boys 14-years record held by ex-Carnegie star Mark Szaranek - a three-time Commonwealth Games medallist - by over half-a-second, and that of another former club member, Craig McLean, by a similar margin in the 50m butterfly short course.

Proud Carnegie Swimming Club head coach, Susan Taylor, said: "James has had a fantastic season and to end it at the British Summer Championships with seven swims is amazing.

"I am excited to see where we can get to next year, not only with James, but the rest of the swimmers who have progressed massively over the 23/24 swimming season.

"I would love to have a team of swimmers at the British Champs next year, including some relay teams if we are lucky enough to qualify!"

To find out more about Carnegie Swimming Club, find them on Facebook, or visit their website at https://www.carnegieswimmingclub.co.uk/.