Andrea makes final of British national swimming championships in Manchester

Swimmer Andrea Strachan qualified for the final of the 50 metres breaststroke at the British Championships in Manchester at the weekend.

She was the first Shetland competitor to swim at the event, which began on Friday morning with the heats.

Andrea qualified as ninth fastest to take her place among the 16 swimmers in the evening’s semi-finals, where she produced another fine performance, coming third in her race and qualifying for Saturday’s final.

In the final Andrea finished in eighth place, an incredible achievement from the 18-year-old from Lerwick. She learned to swim at the Shetland Amateur Competitive Swimming Club, then trained with the Lerwick Swim Team until last year when she went to study at Edinburgh University where she joined the team there.

Lerwick head coach Petur Petursson said: “The Lerwick Swim Team squad have been on a high all weekend with great excitement at Andrea’s success. We are looking forward to welcoming Andrea home at the start of the easter holidays when she will be training with the squad at the Clickimin Leisure Centre. She will then travel with us and represent Lerwick at the Scottish National Age Group Championships this April.”