TWO young sporting stars from Croft have swapped the swimming pool for a muddy Welsh bog – and returned to Warrington as world champions.
Siblings Emily and William Hall have both won titles at the World Bog Snorkelling Championships in Llanwrtyd Wells, with Emily producing the outstanding performance of the day to claim three titles and William taking the Junior Male crown.
And the remarkable story began with little more than a family dare.
Competitive swimmer Emily, who is moving to Ellesmere College on an academic and swimming scholarship, jokingly claimed she could beat the world bog snorkelling record after discovering the bizarre sport.
Her family challenged her to prove it. She did – although she fell just short of the long-standing world record.
Emily produced a stunning 1 minute 27.97 seconds over the 120-yard course at Waen Rhydd bog, the fastest time of the entire competition. That saw her crowned Junior Female Champion, Overall Female Champion and Overall World Champion.
Sweden’s Adrian Sandstrom had looked set to take the overall title after recording 1:28.30, but Emily knocked 0.33 seconds off his time to snatch victory.
And there was more family success to come.
Her younger brother William also completed the full championship course and was crowned Junior Male Champion, meaning the Croft family returned home with two World Championship titles.
The achievement is even more remarkable given Emily’s sporting background. She is an experienced competitive swimmer, but bog snorkelling is a very different proposition.
Competitors have to complete two 60-yard lengths – 120 yards in total – through a trench filled with peat water, wearing a snorkel, mask and flippers.
Traditional swimming strokes are banned, with competitors relying largely on their legs and a restricted doggy-paddle action beneath the water.
And there is another small problem. You can’t see where you’re going.
The peat-filled water is virtually opaque, while competitors also have to negotiate the turn around a post before battling their way back through the bog.
This year’s championships attracted 201 competitors and marked the 40th running of the extraordinary event.
Emily admitted afterwards that the experience was considerably harder than swimming in a conventional pool.
But her competitive swimming background clearly paid dividends.
She used a streamlined technique and powerful leg kick to propel herself through the bog – and when she emerged, she had posted the fastest time of the day.
There was then a long wait while the remaining competitors attempted to beat her.Nobody did.
The current world record remains 1 minute 12.34 seconds, set by Neil Rutter in 2023, so Emily’s 1:27.97 did not break the overall record.
But she did something arguably just as memorable – she became Overall World Champion at her very first attempt.
The World Bog Snorkelling Championships may sound like a novelty, but the event has developed into a major international attraction.
The championships began in 1985 and this year’s 40th anniversary event attracted competitors from around the world to Llanwrtyd Wells.
There is also a strong emphasis on fun, with fancy dress forming a major part of the event alongside the serious competition.
But for the Hall family, the focus was very much on the stopwatch.
And after Emily’s remarkable performance and William’s junior victory, they now have two very unusual additions to their sporting CVs.
Two Warrington youngsters. Two world titles. One very muddy Welsh bog. Not bad for a challenge that started with a family dare.
