Dunfermline Press | Sport | Swimming family makes a splash

Tuesday, 6th January, 2009

Published: Thursday, 23rd November, 2006 12:00

Swimming family makes a splash

By Sportsdesk

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WHEN it comes to swimming, 11-year-old Mark Szaranek is following in his mum’s wake.

Mum Wendy (39) is the current Scottish Masters record holder for the breaststroke events in both the long course and short course pools.

Plenty for son Mark to live up to then but he certainly made a splash at a recent Fife Schools meet.

The Carnegie Swimming Club youngster totally dominated the 11 and under section, smashing the 50 metres butterfly meet and Scottish record in his heat clocking 32.62 seconds. Before the ink could dry he’d shattered them again in the final, this time clocking 32.54 – more than three seconds faster than the second-placed swimmer.

He also took the 50m record in the freestyle final, clocking 29.83, which again was more than 2.5 seconds ahead of his closest rival.

These winning margins were the largest across all the 11 & under races on the day.

Not to be outdone, Wendy, also a member of the Carnegie club, won the silver medal in the women’s 200m breaststroke at the recent British Masters Short Course Championships (25m pool) at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.

In the process she also smashed her own Scottish record, taking almost three seconds off her existing mark.

Earlier this year, Wendy also took part in the British Masters Long Course Championships (50m pool) at the Manchester Aquatic Centre and lifted gold in both the 100m and 200m events.

Wendy was also one of three Carnegie Masters swimmers who matched their younger counterparts at the Glasgow International Masters Meet at Tollcross in Glasgow, winning 10 gold medals, two silver and four bronze.

She had a faultless display in the 35-39 years ladies events, winning five golds in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, 100m and 200m freestyle, and the 100m individual medley.

Husband John Szaranek also got in on the act in the 35-39 years mens events, won gold in the 200m backstroke, silvers in the 200m and 400m freestyle and bronzes in the 50m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 100m and 200m individual medley.

Thomas Davidson bagged four gold medals in the 19-24 years age group in the 100m butterfly and 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle and achieved the qualifying times to join the performance squads again.

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