WEST FIFE swimming duo Emma Russell and Tain Bruce are on their way to Birmingham after they secured Team Scotland selection.

The former Woodmill High and Inverkeithing High school pupils had their places in the squad for this summer’s Commonwealth Games confirmed last Thursday.

They will be joined by two former Carnegie Swimming Club stars, Mark Szaranek and Ollie Carter, in the 24-strong pool of competitors, with a further seven divers making up the aquatics team.

University of Stirling swimmer Emma, 18, who in 2019 was named as the Dunfermline and West Fife Sports Council Sports Personality of the Year, will attend her maiden Commonwealth Games.

Having been part of the Great Britain squad that competed at the 2019 European Junior Swimming Championships in Russia, where she won a silver medal in the 4x200 metres relay, Emma was selected last year to race at the European Aquatics Championships in Budapest.

In April, she competed at the 2022 British Swimming Championships at Sheffield’s famous Ponds Forge, in which she finished second in the women’s open 100m freestyle, as well as fourth and sixth respectively in the 50m and 200m events.

Tain, who is from Hillend and competes for the University of Edinburgh, had been put forward by the Scottish Swimming Commonwealth Games Selection Panel to Commonwealth Games Scotland for the Gold Coast Games four years ago but was not selected.

Now, however, she will go for glory in a Scotland cap, having enjoyed second- and third-place finishes in the 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle at May’s Glasgow International Swim Meet, having also finished fourth in the women’s open finals in those disciplines in Sheffield.

Confirmation of who had made the team also brought good news for ex-Carnegie member Ollie, who has been competing at the World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira.

The University of Stirling swimmer was part of the British team for the first time at the event, which ran from June 12-18, having achieved a consideration time in relay competition.

His first race came in the mixed 4x100m freestyle 49 points relay, in which he anchored GB to a sixth-place finish, while he did similar in the mixed 4x100m freestyle 34 points relay, in which the British quartet placed just outside the medals in fourth.

Speaking to Scottish Swimming, Ollie said: “It was great to be part of the team, this (racing on the world stage) is addictive and I want to be back for lots more and I’m sure I will be as I’ll be doing everything I can to be an asset to these relays and hopefully win some medals which would be a real achievement.”

Szaranek, meanwhile, will go to his second Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, having won 400m individual medley silver and 4x200m freestyle bronze four years ago in Australia.