Harris on the Medal Trail again

A busy fortnight for Craig Harris saw him twice take the trip north to Ponds Forge in Sheffield, and twice come back with an impressive haul of medals and an enhanced reputation. It is no surprise that Ponds Forge is one of Harris’ favourite pools.

Harris’ first visit was for the Junior Disability Championships during the weekend of 24th and 25th March which resulted in a clean sweep of gold medals in the S14 category in each of the 100m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 200m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle. This impressive and eye catching performance also brought Harris the award for the Best Junior Male swimmer at the championships.

Craig Harris ~ Best Male Swimmer at the Junior Disability Championships

The stakes were higher on Harris’s second visit to Sheffield over the Easter weekend for the British International Disability Swimming Championships, with places in the London 2012 Paralympic team still up for grabs. Despite adding two more gold medals to his growing collection, Harris will have to wait a little longer for his selection for the GB team, something that should not be far away with his current rate of improvement.

“It is easy to forget that Harris is only 13,” commented Chief Coach Louise Clayton. “Over the last two months he has performed at the two biggest arenas in British swimming, in front of TV cameras, and against international athletes. These have been massive learning opportunities and an important part of Craig’s development. He has great prospects ahead of him.”