Clipstone swimmer earns Commonwealth Games call

The Games will take place on Australia’s Gold Coast between April 4 and 15, with 18-year-old Clogg one of 39 swimmers to be making the trip Down Under.

Clogg is currently in Dubai on a training camp, but his mum Sharon says his call-up is just reward for lots of hard work.

She said: “Right from when he was a junior swimmer he has always done well in the sport but for him to be in the Commonwealth Games squad having just turned 18 is fantastic.

“He had a good 2017 and swam well at the Commonwealth trials week and although there were faster swimmers there, we always thought a place on the squad was a possibility given his displays at the British Championships and the World Juniors.

“So it was a nice surprise for him to get the call.”

When he returns from Dubai, Clogg will take part in the Luxembourg Euro Meet at the end of January ahead of the British Championships in Edinburgh in March, before flying to Brisbane to the holding camp later that month.

He currently trains at Loughborough University under Mel Marshall having moved from Sheffield last September, and in the longer term, his mum hopes a good display in Australia could lead to consideration for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by Team GB.

She said: “He’s on British Swimming’s ‘Podium Potential’ programme so they obviously have him on the radar and fund him too so without being too expectant or putting pressure on, there is certainly half an eye on him going to Tokyo if things go well in the meantime.”

For now though, it’s Australia on his mind and the family are also hoping to join him to cheer him from the sidelines.

Sharon added: “Unfortunately all tickets are sold out and even close family don’t get tickets allocated so we’re having to see what we can do. It’ll be an expensive trip, particularly having only found out he’s going at quite short notice, but it would be amazing to be able to go out there and support him.”