Congratulations to Rebecca Gravell!

Kingston Royals swimmer Rebecca Gravell is officially a British champion, having won her category in the 19-24 Youth Women Age Group race of the British Open Water Swimming Championships.  Swimming for KRSC , Rebecca won the race on a 3.3 km course in the world famous Serpentine lake, with a fantastic time of 46.09 minutes.

The race took place as part of the first-ever Swim Serpentine open water festival on 25 September. Rebecca was one of thousands of swimmers competing over the inaugural weekend, with Olympic champions and celebrities also taking part in London’s Hyde Park iconic Serpentine lake, which was a swimming venue in London 2012 Olympics.

Rebecca says:  “It was a beautiful location to swim in, I won the 19-24 category and that’s really cool.  Normally there isn’t too much open for that age group and people filter off swimming, so it’s nice to be recognised for that. It feels a bit strange being British champion for that age group – I certainly didn’t think that was going to happen this morning when I rolled up.”

Rebecca has been swimming since she was ten years old, and as well as competing for KRSC she is also a swimming teacher herself. As well as loving the pool, she does think there is something special about open water swimming and would encourage others to try it.

She says: “To anyone thinking about getting involved next year I would say ‘do it’! Don’t even hesitate – if you think you might not be able to manage it, do some training and book yourself in, what’s the worst that can happen.”

If you’d like to find out more about this event please visit www.swimserpentine.co.uk