University swimmers take on world’s best

World and Olympic swimming champions will feature in an impressive roster of talent in Edinburgh this weekend.

More than 600 swimmers will compete in 14 disciplines during the three-day event at the Royal Commonwealth Pool.

Three World and Olympic champions from the US - alongside Team Scotland and University student swimmers including Lucy Hope and Calum Tait - will be among those competing at the Edinburgh International Long Course Swim Meet which opens on Friday.

The meet, organised by SASA East District Swimming - in association with the University and supporting sponsors Finis - has attracted stars from 21 countries.

The cream of US swimming are competing in Edinburgh for the first time, including Olympic Champions Natalie Coughlin (backstroke) and Anthony Irvin (free-style), alongside their compatriot Tom Shields, the world’s leading butterfly swimmer.

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Caitlin McLatchie, Callum Tait, and other leading athletes preview a weekend of exciting competition.

Top competitors

Spectators can expect three exciting days of competition. Scotland’s 200m Commonwealth champion Ross Murdoch will go head to head with 2012 Olympic silver medalist Michael Jamieson, and Commonwealth, European champion and world record holder Adam Peaty will compete in the men’s 100m breaststroke.

Liam Tancock, the world record holding backstroke competitor, and Italy’s world champion breaststroke swimmer Fabio Scozzoli will also feature during the weekend’s race programme.

Other University swimmers taking part include 2014 Commonwealth Games breaststroke bronze medalist Corrie Scott, and fellow Team Scotland members Katherine Johnston and Jack Thorpe.

The University is delighted to sponsor the Edinburgh International Swim meet. We extend the warmest of welcomes to everyone taking part. Edinburgh is a university with a rich heritage and success in international sport. The Edinburgh International has attracted a star-studded field, which will be sure to fuel some super-fast times and personal best performances. Our best wishes go to everyone involved over the next few days – the sport of swimming is bound to be the winner.

International attraction

The meet has attracted teams from Austria, Switzerland, France and Denmark.

They will compete alongside four other Commonwealth Games medalists who represented Team Scotland in Glasgow - Hannah Miley, Stephen Milne, Duncan Scott and Robbie Renwick.

The event was first held 25 years ago and was last staged in 2011, prior to the refurbishment of the Commonwealth Pool. The first race on Friday is at 5.15pm.

Sport at Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh is amongst the UK’s leading sporting universities.

Six-time cycling Olympic Champion Sir Chris Hoy, Olympic gold medallist rower Katherine Grainger, World Champion Orienteer Yvette Baker and Scottish international athlete Eilidh Childhave all emerged from the University’s sporting stable.

At London 2012, the University finished first in the Olympic medal table for universities across the UK.

UniversitySport & Exercise and Edinburgh University Sports Union (EUSU) jointly run the country’s foremost Performance Sport support programmes for exceptionally talented student athletes.

Both the Individual Performance Programme (IPP) and the Team Performance Programme (TPP) offer essential support for student athletes who are committed to succeeding on the international stage.