Kathleen dreams of Olympic gold

WARRINGTON swimmer Kathleen Dawson has talked about her hopes for the 2020 Olympics following her victory at the European Swimming Championships.
The 18-year-old was selected to represent Great Britain for the first time at a senior international meet after narrowly missing out on a spot at this year’s Olympics.
She won a bronze medal in the 100m backstroke at the London Aquatic Centre, breaking her own Scottish record with a time of 59.68 seconds – making her the fastest ever female 100m Scottish Backstroke swimmer, breaking the 60 second barrier.
She was also part of the team that took home a gold medal for Great Britain in the 400m medley relay.
Kathleen, said: “It was amazing to win not just one but two medals. I went along to the championships as part of the younger squad so it was a massive achievement.
“I’m going to continue training hard and keep on trying to improve with the aim of being part of Team GB at Tokyo 2020.”
The Barrow Hall College student has been swimming at LiveWire pools since the age of six, and has been part of the Warrington Warriors team since she was nine.
She said: “When I was in primary school my goal was to swim at the Olympics so to come this far is surreal.
“My dream now is to break the world record for the 100m backstroke and win an Olympic gold, and I believe with the support I have around me I can achieve this.
“My coach, Darren Ashley and my parents have been fully supportive and have mentored me through the good and the bad times.”
The A-Level student has taken her exams in Geography and Art while she’s been travelling to competitions and she hopes to secure a place to study at the University of Stirling next year.
The university is known for its sporting excellence and four of its students have been chosen to represent Team GB in Rio this summer.
Paul Dawson, Kathleen’s dad, added: “We’re really proud of Kathleen and of the courage and perseverance she’s shown through her swimming.
“We’re thankful for the tremendous support she’s been given from her coach, Darren and the LiveWire swimming programme. It was Darren who recognised Kathleen’s talent at a young age.
“Great Sankey High School and Barrow Hall College have also supported Kathleen to complete her studies around her training.”