Millfield swimmer makes history as first female selected for World Junior Championships

Millfield Upper Sixth pupil Rachel Anderson has made history as the first female swimmer from the school to be selected to compete for Team GB at the FINA World Junior Championships in Budapest this August.

The 17-year-old day pupil from Winscombe in Somerset will be following in the footsteps of successful Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallists and former Millfield pupils James Guy, Cameron Kurle and Brodie Williams.

Rachel has been swimming since she was seven and joined Millfield in Year 9; she has qualified for Great Britain twice before, and will compete with the 10-strong Great Britain squad from the 20^th-26^th August at the Duna Arena venue.

The school also has another pupil competing at the competition: Upper Sixth pupil Danilo Rosafio will also be representing Kenya. Millfield’s Director of Swimming, Euan Dale, was also selected as a support coach for the British team at the FINA World Aquatics Championships this summer in Gwangju, South Korea.

Millfield is recognised as one of the top swimming clubs in Great Britain, with eleven coaches across Millfield and Millfield Prep. Millfield has produced 24 Olympians in its short history and has had a swimmer at every Olympic Games since 1968 including champions like Duncan Goodhew, Mark Foster and most recently, James Guy.

Rachel says, “It’s absolutely amazing to be paving the way for female swimmers at Millfield, and across the country, to compete at this level. Even though I’ve qualified for Team GB before, this means so much more because it is on the world’s stage, swimming against some of the best swimmers on this planet.”

Millfield’s Director of Swimming, Euan Dale, says, “Rachel has once again shown just how much of a capable and versatile swimmer she is, and I’m delighted that we now have a female swimmer amongst our history making athletes here at Millfield. This selection is a result of hard work and dedication, and I can’t wait to see where this opportunity takes her in the future.”