A HALL of Fame has been created to recognise 30 years of the county’s top swimming team.
East Lothian Swim Team (ELST) was formed in 1996 to create a performance pathway for the region’s best swimmers from Haddington, Musselburgh and Tranent’s amateur swim clubs.
Now, a dozen key members from the last three decades have been recognised with the first ever inductions to the Hall of Fame. Jamie Ward, ELST head coach since 2021, said: “It’s an incredible milestone for a team of this nature to reach 30 years. “The East Lothian Swim Team, and the performance pathway, is a unique set-up in Scotland and, despite being relatively small in size compared to some of the other squads across the country, we regularly manage to punch well above our weight and compete with the very best.
“Looking back at the calibre of athletes and coaches that this team has managed to produce is quite extraordinary, especially at Commonwealth Games and Olympic level. “Whilst the anniversary is a great opportunity to reflect, it is fantastic for our younger swimmers to see what their peers have gone on to achieve. “Based on the extremely talented pool of young swimmers in our current squad, there is every reason to think that the best is yet to come.”
To celebrate the anniversary, more than 100 swimmers and coaches from past and present swapped the swimming pool for the dance floor as the team hosted an anniversary ceilidh. Special guests in attendance included Alan Rapley, ELST’s first head coach and former Team GB Olympic swimmer, as well as Sam Downie, who has been selected as part of Team Scotland for this summer’s Commonwealth Games. Five coaches and volunteers have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, alongside seven swimmers. Making up the seven swimmers are: Mark Tully, who was a finalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, a Scottish National champion and British National medallist; Paralympic bronze medal winner James Clegg, who will represent Team Scotland at this summer’s Commonwealth Games; two-time Paralympic champion and two-time world champion Stephen Clegg; Sam Downie, World Championship bronze medallist S8 100m backstroke. and 2022 and 2026 Commonwealth Games athlete; Stefan Krawiec, who will represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, having previously been the flagbearer for Team Scotland at the Youth Commonwealth Games and won medals at the European Juniors; multiple-time British and Scottish National medallist Luke Hornsey, who will also compete at the Commonwealth Games; and Rachel Sharples, who competed at the 2011 Youth Commonwealth Games and was a Scottish Junior National record holder.
Meanwhile, from a coaching and volunteering point of view, inducted were: Alan Rapley, the original head coach of ELST; Vivian Hastie, a former head coach of both ELST and Haddington Swimming Club; Matt Trodden, former ELST head coach and Team Scotland Commonwealth Games coach; Bruce Halloran, who was ELST head coach for seven years and will be Team Scotland Commonwealth Games coach 2026; and Duncan McKinnell, long-time announcer/commentator for ELST meets and Scottish Swimming’s Voice of Swimming.
© East Lothian Courier