Scottish Swimming celebrate a year of success

Over 280 guests celebrated another year of success with a sell-out Scottish Swimming Awards event, hosted by two-time World 10km Open Water Champion and Olympic Silver medallist Keri-anne Payne and three-time Olympian and double Commonwealth Champion, David Carry, and held at The Mercure Ardoe House Hotel, Aberdeen on Saturday 30^th September.

World Championships  and DeafLympics medallists, Duncan Scott, Danielle Joyce, Grace Reid and Keanna MacInnes were among many people in Scotland’s wide aquatic community recognised at the event.

Following his outstanding year Duncan Scott was presented with the Nancy Riach Memorial Medal. Scott brought home a gold and silver medal from the FINA World Championships in Budapest, from the 4x200m freestyle and 4x100m medley relay. Earlier in the year he became the first British athlete to post a sub 48 second time for 100m freestyle.

Scott, who is the Learn to Swim Brand Amabassador, also presented Aquatics Aberdeen with the Scottish Water Learn to Swim Service Provider of the Year Award. The Aberdeen Aquatics programme has seen 80% growth in the last year providing swimming lessons for over 5,000 children across the city. In addition they provide a comprehensive aquatics programme for all ages and abilities including early years classes, adult lessons, school swimming, classes for children with additional support needs and recently introduced new confidence in the water and everybody active sessions. 

Danielle Joyce was rewarded for her multi medal winning exploits at the Deaflympics in Samsun (gold medals in the 50m and 100m freestyle, and bronze medals in the 50m back and 4x100m mixed freestyle relay) taking home the Jim Anderson Award for Disability Swimmer of the Year.

Keanna MacInnes walked away with two awards, the first being the WG Todd Prize and Cup for Junior Female Athlete of the Year. MacInnes on her international debut at the FINA World Junior Championships won bronze in the 200m butterfly. She also won the Eian Prentice Memorial Trophy for the Junior Open Water Swimmer of the Year.

The WG Todd Prize and Cup for Junior Male Athlete of the Year was presented to Scott McLay, who became Scotland’s most successful athlete at a Commonwealth Youth Games returning from the Bahamas with three gold medals in the 50m,100m free & 50m fly, a silver In the 100m back and a bronze medal for the 4x100m mixed freestyle.

Grace Reid, who became Scotland’s first ever World Championship medallist (silver in the 3m mixed synchro with Tom Daley) won the John and Margaret Bell Award for her contribution to diving.

The City of Glasgow Swim Team won the Club of the Year accolade following a year of establishing new partnerships with universities and the addition of a club development coordinator to support the implementation of a 4 year development plan. 

Maureen Campbell, Chair of the Scottish Swimming Board, thanked all involved in the aquatic community for a successful year. She said,

“The Scottish Swimming Awards once again acknowledges the outstanding successes achieved throughout the aquatics field from athletes and coaches to volunteers and Clubs, all of whom play an important role in leading our sport - a sport for all, a sport for life.”

Pictures from the awards night will be posted shortly.

ENDS

The full list of Award winners from the evening is as follows: