Courtesy of Steve Li for Speedo
An amateur swimming club in Nottingham were treated to a masterclass from Olympic medallist Siobhan-Marie O’Connor recently.
Young swimmers from Nottingham Leander SC had their regular training session transformed after winning an Instagram competition hosted by swimwear specialists Allens of Kingsbury in association with global swimwear brand Speedo.
Courtesy of Steve Li for Speedo
To celebrate the launch of Speedo’s ‘Green Glow’ Fastskin swimsuits, clubs across the United Kingdom were challenged to show how they “Glow For It” in every session, with Leander’s effort judged the winner by Allens of Kingsbury. The prize was a two-hour takeover by O’Connor, who won silver in the 200m Individual Medley at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 and is a past World Champion.
As well as the opportunity of having a picture taken with the star swimmer, the youngsters were also given tips on how to perfect their breaststroke technique through a series of drills and refinement and got the chance to quiz her ahead of a huge year.
O’Connor, who made the short journey from her Loughborough base where she is training ahead of Tokyo 2020, said: “As a Speedo ambassador we’re always looking at ways to inspire the next generation of club swimmers, so it was so much fun to meet the Nottingham Leander team. They’ve got a great group of coaches and swimmers and they make swimming so enjoyable. Hopefully we will see some of the young team competing at the highest level in the coming years.”
Courtesy of Steve Li for Speedo
Jon Hewing, communications officer for Nottingham Leander SC, said: “To have somebody as inspiring as Siobhan-Marie join us for a session was a wonderful prize and our swimmers thoroughly enjoyed meeting her. As one of the finest British swimmers of recent years, Siobhan-Marie is an idol to many of our young swimmers and there was a real buzz about the session tonight. We can’t thank Allens of Kingsbury and Speedo enough for this opportunity and we’ll be milking it on our social media platforms for a while yet!”
Swimmer Jess Collishaw from NLSC’s performance squad said: “What an inspiring and rewarding session Siobhan gave to us at Leander. She’s been through everything we’re trying to achieve and she made us all believe in ourselves, especially the younger ones. She was a fantastic role model for everyone.”
Danny Beal, sales director at Allens of Kingsbury, added: “We would like to thank everyone at Nottingham Leander and Speedo for making this happen, and of course Siobhan-Marie O’Connor. It was fantastic to see the sessions she delivered, inspiring so many young swimmers. We have had very positive feedback from the evening which makes all the hard work worthwhile!”
The new Green Glow Fastskin LZR Pure Intent and Fastskin LZR Pure Valor swimsuits are FINA-approved and are available to purchase from www.Speedo.com
Courtesy of Steve Li for Speedo
The world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations, and supports swimming from grass-roots through to the elite level. In the 1920s Speedo® made history with the Racerback: the world’s first non-wool suit. In 2008 Speedo® redefined swimwear again with Fastskin® LZR RACER® – the fastest and most technologically advanced swimsuit ever created. 2011 saw Speedo unveil another world first with the Fastskin Racing System – a cap, goggle and suit designed to work together as one. Speedo® is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V and distributed in over 170 countries around the world. To find out more visit: www.speedo.com