SWIMMER Emma Russell is celebrating after she earned a place on the plane to compete at this month's European Aquatics Championships.

The talented 17-year-old, a former pupil at Woodmill High School, is one of nine Scots who will be part of the Team GB squad that will compete in the multi-discipline competition in Budapest, Hungary, from May 17-23.

University of Stirling competitor Emma is in her first senior British swimming squad, having been a member of the squad that took part in the 2019 European Junior Swimming Championships in Russia, where she won a silver medal in the 4x200 metres relay.

A 40-strong squad will swim at the Duna Arena, which includes the athletes that will go for gold at this summer's Tokyo Olympics, comprising stellar names of the sport such as reigning Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion, Adam Peaty; and fellow University of Stirling swimmers Aimee Willmott, Ross Murdoch and Duncan Scott.

Emma is one of 12 additional competitors – as well as marathon swimmers Hector Pardoe, Toby Robinson and Emily Clarke – who will be involved at the meet, which is another key qualification opportunity for those who missed out narrowly at last month's British Swimming Selection Trials.

It will also provide a chance for some of the younger squad members to gain major competition experience with a view to the next Olympic Games, in Paris, in 2024.

Emma heads for Budapest on the back of a highly-successful meet at the selection trials, in which she set two Scottish Age Group records while claiming PBs in three events.

Her time of 2:00.62 in the 200m freestyle final saw her collect the 17 years Scottish Age Group record, which had been held by Hannah Miley, while she took over the Scottish Age Group record in the 100m freestyle from Lucy Ellis, with a time of 55.16 in the final.

That time also means she is ranked as the 18th-fastest British swimmer of all time in that event, while a time of 25.54 – an improvement on her own record that she achieved at the British Swimming Invitational Meet in March – was also a new best.

Prior to the selection trials, Emma spoke to Press Sport, and explained how training at Stirling, alongside world-class athletes, was helping her own swimming.

"They (her coaches) do things differently to what I've seen and been involved with before so it's quite nice," she said.

"It's more like sports science than I was used to before so I'm really enjoying learning new things and picking up things.

"They're all really inspiring. Getting to train with them is such a big thing because they're all high level in the squad, which is nice because they're always motivated. It definitely helps me to see people that are doing well and training hard.

"Aimee Willmott, English Commonwealth Games champion in 2018, is a Commonwealth gold-medallist so she's very good at what she does, and just her attitude, it's always good and she trains really hard.

"You've got your Ross Murdochs and your Duncan Scotts and people like that who are at the top of their game as well, so they've all got really good attitudes to training and I think that's really great to see.

"There's loads of others as well; everyone's on the same wavelength, they all want to be at their best so they all train their best."