Perse Prep pupil makes historic splash at national swimming finals
Charlize (Year 5) has made waves after becoming the first Perse Prep pupil to compete in the IAPS (Independent Association of Prep Schools) Swimming Championships national finals.
She put in a sensational swim to come ninth in the final of the girls’ U10 50m breaststroke at the London Aquatics Centre with a personal best time of 44.19sec, having qualified 10th fastest from the heats.
“I was really excited to take part because I was swimming in the same pool as the London 2012 Olympics had been held in,” said Charlize, who first set foot in the water at a baby swimming class aged just five months old.
“It was great to take part in a national-level competition. I thought it went well and I was pleased to come ninth in the country.
“I’m going to carry on practising and working to improve different things, so hopefully I can win a medal at next year’s finals.”
Charlize, whose favourite swimmers include Adam Peaty, Michael Phelps and Duncan Scott, began her journey in the pool with Stevenage SC before joining City of Cambridge aged eight.
She quickly became one of the youngest members of the club’s Academy Squad – the foundation stage for competitive swimming – and now trains five days a week.
Charlize said: “I love being in the water and I find it fun. We do a lot of different things in training from distances of 400m, where you try to improve your speed doing longer lengths, to sprints where you can do four 25m sets in the stroke of your choice.”
It has certainly paid off for Charlize this season as she has won 40 medals across all competitions, including 10 golds from 10 events at two galas. She has also achieved 14 county qualifying times, including across all strokes at 50m and 100m.
In September, Charlize will begin training seven times a week, including an early morning session on Mondays, as she moves up to City of Cambridge’s Performance Squad.
Charlize added: “I want to be an Olympian when I’m older so I’ll need to practise a lot!”