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Stuart seals British bestCrewe Chronicle - 19 Mar 2003A DISABLED swimmer from Crewe has smashed a Great Britain junior national record.Stuart Bloor, 15, suffers from spina bifida but his example to others saw him named last year's Chronicle-Scottish Power Champion of Champions and Young Champion of the Year. He has continued to sparkle in the pool during his opening events of 2003 and set a new record of one minute 24.05 seconds in the 100m backstroke at the DSE Sport England Championships in Sheffield. His record gave him one of seven gold medals in the event. Stuart said: 'I was a bit surprised because I had been injured for 11 weeks, but it was a great thrill to do so well and win so many medals and hopefully it can help me win more during the rest of the year.' Dad Steve added: 'Stuart surprised everybody because he has had a foot infection which restricted his training in the build up to the competition, but he produced some excellent results, creating one new record and shaving several seconds off his personal bests in other events. He seems determined to keep improving.' Stuart's other gold’s came in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, the 50m backstroke, the 50m freestyle, the 100m Individual Medley and the 200m freestyle. For good measure he also won silver in the 100m freestyle. His efforts helped the North West claim overall first place in the championships with a total of 121,000 points. Their nearest rivals scored 100,000. A pupil at Coppenhall High School, Stuart has been largely confined to a wheelchair since birth but competes as a disabled athlete in basketball, shot putt and gymnastics. He helps out as a volunteer at Crewe Seahorses Disabled Swimming Club and South West Cheshire Scouts. He is sponsored by Crewe based Mornflake Oats and can count Crewe and Nantwich Mayor Cllr Mick Roberts and community safety officer inspector Alan Allman among his biggest fans. Dad Steve added: 'Stuart is very grateful to Crewe Flyers, the able-bodied club, because they help him with his training and have always offered plenty of encouragement.' Stuart's next event sees him return to Sheffield on Friday for the Great Britain Championships in which he will be competing against able-bodied swimmers. He then has a series of short-course events and swimming camps in the build-up to the Senior Long-Course Championships in June. |
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