New Earswick Swimming Club are celebrating a first ever Yorkshire championship being won by one of their members.

Victoria Clapham, 15, struck gold in the Under-16 section 100m backstroke at the Yorkshire Championships at Leeds International Pool. And she did it in style with a personal best time of 1-09.22.

The Huntington School pupil also took silver in the 100m freestyle, with her times for both events qualifying her for the National Championships, also at Leeds, in July.

Steve Thompson, of New Earswick Swimming Club, said: "She is a phenomenon. She only trains five hours a week and she is beating girls who are training 20 hours a week."

Meanwhile, York swimmers Caroline Foot and Michael Cole have joined the jet set to hone their preparations for the Commonwealth Games.

The York City Baths Club pair headed overseas to national training camps, with Foot flying to Perth, Australia, with the England team and Cole joining up with Scotland colleagues in Rolling Hills, Florida.

Foot and Cole are hoping to cap a busy year of competition action with success in the Games at Kuala Lumpur in September.

Olympic swimmer Foot competed in the World Championships in Perth, followed by World Cup meets in Sydney, Sheffield, Imperia and Paris.

Cole's travels have taken him to World Cup events in Rio, Sheffield, Imperia and Paris, reaching a number of finals.

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