Manchester's swim team makes a splash

Manchester Aquatics Centre has become a hotbed of swimming champions in the past 18 months.

The City of Manchester Aquatics Swim Team is  rapidly becoming one of the strongest sports forces in Britain and overseas.

Over the  past eighteen months, there has been a buzz around swimming in the city with the likes of American Olympian Michael Phelps coming here to take part in the Duel in the Pool and the Australian Swim Team choosing  Manchester as their training base ahead of London 2012.

It is the city's home team however where the successes are really being made. 

The swimmers from the City of Manchester Aquatics Swim Team certainly finished  the Commonwealth Games on a high, after bringing home three medals from the competition.

Simon  Miller, the 23-year from Fallowfield returned victorious after breaking  the British record on the 50m Freestyle and earning himself a silver medal.

Sixteen year-old, Emma Saunders also came home with a silver medal for the women's 4x100m freestyle team and a bronze for the 4 x 200m freestyle team.

This adds to Emma's success at the European Junior Championships this year where she took gold in the 50m backstroke and set a new European record. It was here that Emma and fellow team mate Jess Lloyd also finished in silver-medal position in the women's 4x100m.

These international results capped off a great year, where the team produced multiple national and international champions.

The team's young people led the way at the National Age Group Open Water Championships, the youth team finished in second (female) and fourth (male) positions while the seniors were second only to Loughborough in the medal table at the National Championships.

At regional level, the team established themselves as top at both youth and senior level in both the male and female categories and in recognition of the fantastic performances put in over the year, the Lord Mayor of  Manchester, Councillor Mark Hackett visited the team this week to  congratulate them on their tremendous success.

The Lord Mayor said: "What the team has achieved at all levels this year is  phenomenal and is a real source of pride for the city, representing  Manchester so well at home and abroad. These athletes are going from  strength to strength and I wish them every success."

Nick  Sellwood, Head of Talent Development at the Amateur Swimming Association said: "The progress that the team at Manchester has made is astounding. The hard work & positive philosophy that is being pushed forward means that swimmers in the city now have some of the best opportunities in the world."

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Manchester City Council's executive member for culture and leisure said: "Manchester City Council is committed to increasing opportunities for Manchester residents to be the best they can be. The performance swimming programme based at Manchester Aquatics Centre has seen dramatic improvements over the past couple of years, cemented by its work with the Community Aquatics Clubs. The fruition of all the hard work can now be seen in these excellent results, showcasing Manchester's talented athletes on an international stage."