SWIMMER Emma Russell made an impressive splash at the British Swimming Selection Trials by claiming some new personal best times.

The 17-year-old, a former Woodmill High School pupil who now competes for the University of Stirling, travelled to London for the meet earlier this month and achieved her aim of securing PBs.

And she could find herself in contention for a place in the GB squad for the European Championships, which are set to be held in Budapest next month.

Rebranded from the British Swimming Championships for 2021, the event – held at the London Aquatics Centre, which hosted swimming at the 2012 Olympics – saw the cream of the sport compete to earn times that will put them into consideration for European Championship or Olympic teams.

Former Carnegie Swimming Club members Tain Bruce, from Hillend, and Mark Szaranek were also taking part and, although she is looking beyond this summer's Games in Tokyo, Russell enjoyed an impressive five days in the pool.

Emma began by competing in the women's 200 metres freestyle, posting a heat time of two minutes and 1.03 seconds, which bettered her entry time of 2:02.16.

That saw her into the final, where she placed seventh, but she produced an even better time of 2:00.62, which was a new personal best and a 17-year-old Scottish Age Group record, which had been held by Hannah Miley, an Olympian and two-time 400m medley Commonwealth Games champion.

The talented teenager then followed that up with another fine performance in the 100m freestyle where, after posting the fourth-quickest heat time of 55.47, from an entry time of 55.82, she enjoyed a fifth-place finish in the final.

That, though, was achieved with an even better time of 55.16 which was not only a new PB but a Scottish age group record, which she took over from Lucy Ellis.

The time Emma posted means that she is also ranked as the 18th fastest British swimmer of all time in that event.

Emma also swam in the 50m freestyle, where she was fifth-quickest in the heats in 25.70, from an entry time of 25.76, before bettering it in the final. 

She finished sixth in another new best of 25.54, which improved on her own record that she achieved at the British Swimming Invitiational Meet in Manchester last month.

Meanwhile, Szaranek, who is also a University of Stirling swimmer, competed in three events – the 200m individual medley, the 400m individual medley and 200m freestyle – and achieved a fine third place in the second of those.

He improved on his heat time of 4:22.85 to place behind winner Max Litchfield – a 400m medley gold-medalist at the 2019 short course European Championships in Glasgow – and Brodie Williams in 4:17.44, while also making the 200m individual medley final.

In a race won by Stirling team-mate Duncan Scott, he placed fifth in 2:00.15, a time that was more than two seconds quicker than his heat of 2:02.59.

He didn't, however, make the final of the 200m freestyle – which Scott won in a British record of 1:44.58 – after posting a heat effort of 1:49.50.

Bruce, who competes for the University of Edinburgh, was in action in the 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle, and reached the final of both events.

In the first, she achieved a heat time of 1:00.28 before clocking 1:00.58 in the final, while in the second, her final time of 56.62 was marginally slower of that the 56.43 achieved in the heats.