Lucy Ellis, Scotland's Junior Swimmer of the Year from Dalgety Bay, has won eight British medals, and set an astonishing number of personal bests and records at major events over the past fortnight.

In Sheffield at the British National Youth and Open Championships she became the (16/17 year old) British 100m freestyle champion, breaking the Scottish under 16 and junior records three times in the process and missing the British record by just eight hundredths of a second.  She went on to win the silver medal in the women’s race 100m freestyle.

Representing GB a week later at the British Tri Nations (for under 20 year olds from Britain, Canada and Russia) Lucy won the silver medal in 200m freestyle and bronze in the 100m freestyle, before helping GB win silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay and bronze in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay. In both relays she swam the fastest leg.

Last week at the British Grand Prix Open short course meet in Leeds she competed in the 50m and 100m butterfly, and the 50m,100m and 200m freestyle, achieving the  16/17 Scottish age group records and Scottish Junior records in all events.

In her best event of the meet she recorded a PB of 1.56.91 in the Scottish Senior 200m freestyle.  Had it not been for Olympian Caitlin McLatchey swimming 1.55.92 earlier that day, Lucy would have broken the record held by another Olympian, Hannah Miley.

“I was dreading the 200m freestyle because I was exhausted from two weeks of racing,” said Lucy afterwards.

“It was the last event and I managed to step up the pace and get the Scottish age group and junior records.  To be a second behind Caitlin McLatchey and just short of the senior time time is pretty good.”

Sixteen year old Lucy has turned around her season quite dramatically after missing two months with a back injury picked up during October’s Commonwealth Youth Games in India.

Her recovery from injury coincided with her being selected for British Swimming’s Intensive Training Centre at Stirling University and joining her new coach, Rob Greenwood. She has recently joined moved from the East of Scotland Institute of Sport into the sportscotland Institute of Sport.

All partners helped her make strides back to full fitness...and beyond.

“I’m getting a lot of support with Strength & Conditioning and physiotherapy to make sure I don’t injure my back again,” said Lucy.

“We’ve upped the meterage by a lot.  I went from not being able to swim when I was injured into a very demanding programme of 50,000 metres a week. 

“I’ve done a lot more speed work so I’m fit enough to go out fast in the first 100 and come back fast as well. It all seems to work because I’m a lot stronger and fitter than I’ve ever been.” 

“The times I‘ve swum in the past fortnight I never thought I’d get at the start of the year when I was injured

Lucy’s season resumes in September and her campaign for a place in next October’s India bound Commonwealth Games team is a priority.

“I’m already under the qualifying times for Delhi but they don’t count until 2010 when I have to set them again in certain competitions.

“I’d love to go, it would be quite an achievement and I’m working towards it now.”