IT STARTED as a tentative experiment, but has now exploded into an amazing opportunity for Alistair Brown. A few weeks ago, the Scottish teenager made a few hesitant splashes in the wilds of Musselburgh Lagoons – next month he will be competing for Britain at the European Junior Open Water Championships in France.
Already recognised as one of the country's most promising 1,500m freestylers, the 19-year-old made his debut in the less confined world of open water swimming in Italy last month, and it turned out to be an impressive first fling. He finished 13t
h overall in a 10k race, and was the best of the five-strong British team.
A member of Edinburgh's Dunedin Club, he is now looking ahead to a bright international future in one of the aquatic world's most gruelling disciplines.
"Open water has been specifically targeted as one of Britain's main sports for the 2012 Olympics in London," explained the Linlithgow youngster. "I think there is a feeling that the conditions, such as the colder water, will give an advantage to the home swimmers.
"Unfortunately, it's not going to be included in the next Commonwealth Games in New Delhi – I don't think there are any Indians that take part in the sport – but there is a very good chance that it is going to be added to the programme for the 2014 Games in Glasgow.
"So it is definitely something I am going to pursue. In fact, I can't wait to go away again and get another chance to compete at the European Juniors."
It was after he squeezed into the top five at the British Olympic trials in Sheffield in April that opportunity knocked and Brown earned his new, sporting chance. "I scraped into fifth place and it was a few weeks later I heard I had been selected for the event near Pisa in Italy," he said.
"I was a little apprehensive, but Scott Balfour (father of Olympic swimmer Kirsty Balfour and an international tri-athelete] took me out to Musselburgh and gave me a few pointers. I was quite surprised because I actually really enjoyed it – more than I thought I would – and it gave me a lot of confidence. It was quite cold, but we wore wetsuits so it wasn't too bad."
As opposed to the controlled confines of a swimming pool, the open water world presents a variety of problems.
There is the weather – Brown was relieved to discover that Pisa was a shade warmer than East Lothian – the swell, and there aren't any ropes to keep undisciplined participants apart. Buffeting and barging is seen as fair game.
"The waves were around five feet high and there was a lot of contact with the other swimmers," said Brown. "The trick is not to give in to anybody and, if arms do clash, then you have to be able to inject some pace."
At the European juniors on July 12-13, Alistair will be one of six in the GB team – three male and three female – and he is looking forward to staging another impressive international performance. He will compete over 5k one day, and 10k the next.
"I hope to do quite well," he adds modestly. "It would be nice to think I might even get a medal. But I'm not really sure how I'll do."
What he is certain about is that open water swimming is now very much part of his sporting repertoire. He has already entered next month's British Open Water Championships in Nottingham – "It will be interesting to see where I rank among the British seniors" – and, next year, he will be aiming to do a full programme.
Coached by Elaine Matthews at Dunedin, the Heriot-Watt University maths student is the current Scottish age-group (16-18 years) champion in the 1,500m freestyle, and he will continue to pursue a career in the pool.
"But I'm definitely going to concentrate more on open water," he said. "The training is much the same. Both events rely a lot on endurance and so they very much go hand-in-hand.
"At the moment, I do four hours, six days a week and it adds up to about 75k. But now I'll be piling on the training." And, hopefully, piling up the honours.
DATE OF BIRTH: 15/04/89
AGE: 18
BORN: CardiffKEY MOMENT: Gaining selection for my first Open Water event in Italy – and now earning a place in the British team for the European Junior Championships.
INSPIRATION: My coach at the Dunedin Club, Elaine Matthews. She has helped me get up the Scottish rankings in 1,500m freestyle.
ASPIRATION: To get to the 2012 London Olympic Games. To compete in the 1,500m freestyle or Open Water would be amazing. I'll be trying for both.
The full article contains 811 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
