A 13-year-old Wolsingham School student has excelled in the Swim England North East Regional Finals in Leeds. Freya Colling from Crook finished the eighth fastest swimmer in the North East region, giving it her all and reaching the final stage.
Freya started swimming when she was just two years old and quickly proved she had an exceptional ability for the sport, progressing through the various stages. She joined Wear Valley Swimming Club when she was nine years old, competing in competitions around the district and county, in all strokes, with breaststroke being her strongest.
Earlier in the year, Freya qualified for all three breaststroke events (50m, 100m and 200m) in the Northumberland and Durham County Championships. In just the last month, she achieved her 100m breaststroke qualifying time of just over 1.24 to win through to the North East Regional heats.
She started the first swim in 16th position but her personal best swim earned her a place in the final – the top ten – where she finished eighth, maintaining her position, which in simple terms means that Freya is officially the eighth fastest 14-year old in the region. (She will celebrate her 14th birthday very soon).
When Freya isn’t swimming, she still goes to the pool at Bishop Auckland where she is a volunteer, helping to coach the younger squads in the club. Her younger brother, Linden, who is ten years old, is already a strong swimmer and may even follow in her footsteps.
Well done, Freya.
