Army Targeting Medals After Inter-Unit Swimming Championship

The Army head coach says fresh talent are potential 'medal winners' after the swimming season begins with the Inter-Unit Swimming Championship.  

The Championship at Aldershot was the first chance for Army personnel to get their hands on some early season silverware, as well as the opportunity to earn a place on the Army team in the Inter-Services Championships.

Watching on as Army swimmers pitted themselves against one another was head coach Gary Mitchell. He said: "I think some of the guys I've seen today are going to bring some more strength to the team.

"Comparing with the database, we could be looking at medal-winners next year."

The Army women have dominated the RAF and the Royal Navy in the pool over the last couple of decades.

It was a strong start to the season for Lance Corporal Kath Baker who has been a key player for the Army in recent years, even reaching a top ten place in the British Championships. 

"I was quite daunted at first because there was some really good swimmers there, but I managed to hold it all together and compete the best I could," she explained. 

Last season, the men's side missed out on the title by a point, but the Army men are hoping to go one better this year with Lance Corporal Luke Conder.

In the pool, he reignited his rivalry with James Gibson - the pair again testing one another to the limit, but in the end it was Lance Corporal Conder who finished on top.

He said: "It's a great moment to see what sort of swimmers are coming up. 

"It's good to see what I need to work on, what's the competition going to be like etc, so it's a good start really."

Coming up next in the swimming calendar is the Inter-Corps Championships and then the Inter-Services. 

With a rise in talented swimmers coming through the Army ranks, there is a sense of optimism that this can translate that into medals.