Hannah Miley and Scott McLay unveil official championships medals with just over three weeks to go until Glasgow 2019.
Today, organisers of LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships were delighted to unveil the official Championships medals, after Scotland’s most successful female swimmer, and Championships Ambassador, Hannah Miley took part in the design process.
In just over three weeks, some of the world’s leading athletes will descend on Glasgow’s Tollcross International Swimming Centre between 4 – 8th December when the Championships will celebrate its 20th year.
Triple-Olympian Hannah Miley, who has won more medals than any other Scottish female swimmer throughout her career, has played a key role throughout the medal design process, and has given a fresh view from an athlete perspective in her role as Official Championships Ambassador for the event.
There have been multiple key elements Hannah was keen to see come to life as the medal design process developed. From larger characteristics like adding a ripple effect to the medal and giving it a three-dimensional look, to more subtle changes such as having individual event titles engraved on the medals, ensuring they are prizes athletes will treasure for a lifetime.
As her design was unveiled, Hannah said: “I was delighted to be involved in designing the Championship medals, and it was great to input some ideas from an athlete’s perspective. The medals will be something athletes from all around the world will treasure forever, and a great reminder of what I’m sure will be an amazing event in Glasgow. I’m so excited for Scotland to host another major international sporting event and can’t wait to see it all come to life over the next few weeks!”
Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Youth Games athlete of all time, Scott McLay, was also in attendance today at the medal unveiling. McLay, who made his senior debut at this summer’s FINA World Swimming Championships in South Korea, will look to continue his progress in the senior ranks. Having set personal bests in both Glasgow and Gwangju already in 2019, he’ll hope to finish his year on a high at Tollcross, and maybe even clinch one of these extra special medals.
Scott said: “The Commonwealth Youth Games medals I have are pretty iconic but I think Glasgow and Hannah have done a great job in the design of these. Having made my first GB senior team in the summer and seen a number of my teammates picking up medals, it has only stoked the fire even more and I’d love to get my hands on one of these in a months’ time.”
Spectators will watch as European Champions are crowned over five action-packed days in Glasgow as some of Europe’s finest swimmers compete in 40 short course (25m pool format) events. Medals for events such as the Women’s 50m Breaststroke and Men’s 400m Freestyle will be up for grabs on day one. Meanwhile, the Men’s 200m Freestyle and Women’s 100m Backstroke will be among the highlights on day two, with both the Men’s 50m and Women’s 100m Freestyle Finals on day three. Into the weekend and swimmers will be chasing medals on the penultimate day in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke Final and Women’s 200m Freestyle Final, with the Men’s 100m Freestyle Final and Women’s 200m Individual Medley being the highlights across a very exciting final day.
The city of Glasgow welcomes the Championships for the first time, as it continues to build its reputation as a truly world-class sporting city. The competition will be the third major European event held in Glasgow within twelve months of the hugely successful inaugural multi-sport European Championships, and the European Athletics Indoor Championships earlier this year in the Emirates Arena. Glasgow continues to receive global recognition as major event hosts with a coveted top five ranking as an ultimate sporting city.
Billy Garrett, Director of Sport and Events at Glasgow Life and Co-Chair of the Glasgow 2019 Steering Committee, said: “It’s been brilliant to have Hannah on board throughout the medal design process, and her insight as an athlete has proved invaluable. In just over three weeks, we’ll be presenting these hard-won medals to world-class swimmers as they compete for glory in our fantastic city.
“We’re one of the top five sporting cities in the world, and we’re known for setting new high standards for major sporting events – and I’m sure the 20th LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships will be no different.”
British Swimming’s Chief Executive Officer, Jack Bucker, commented: “It’s hard to believe we’re now just weeks away from the next major international aquatics event in the UK. It’s been a fabulous year for our swimmers, starting at Tollcross back in April at the British Swimming Championships, and I know our team are keen to end the year on a high back in Glasgow, by getting their hands on some of these beautiful medals.”
Scottish Swimming’s Chief Executive Officer, Euan Lowe, said: “The medal reveal is another huge milestone in the delivery of the event, made all the more significant by having a multi-medal winning athlete like Hannah Miley input into their design. With the Championships only a few weeks away we can’t wait to see the best athletes from across Europe battle it out in the race for the podium.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “To have an athlete of Hannah’s calibre involved throughout the design ensures the athletes receive a truly memorable medal from the LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships in Glasgow.
“The Championships is the culmination of an amazing 12 months of international sporting events, including the European Athletics Indoor Championships and The 2019 Solheim Cup, that have taken place across Scotland this year. To host so many outstanding events in one year reinforces Scotland’s position as the perfect stage for events.”
Short course swimming is a fast-paced event and is guaranteed to have crowds energised from start to finish. Races are competed in a 25m pool, requiring swimmers to complete more turns, so crowds will see competitive, adrenaline-fueled races – setting up this event as one of the most exciting of the year.
Tickets for the event are on sale NOW with the Championships set to be the final cornerstone event in Scotland’s 2019 sporting calendar. The LEN European Short Course Championships 2019 is guaranteed to give the crowd unmissable entertainment.
To grab your tickets before they are sold out, and for more event information, visit www.euroswim2019.com – with tickets selling out fast, make sure you grab yours NOW.
Applications for media accreditation close on Friday 15 November. To apply, visit euroswim2019.com/media-accreditation.