ST NEOTS Swans Ben Fory travelled to Norwich last weekend to compete in the East Region Championships. Fory, 13, was swimming against strong opposition from the six counties of the East Region, and came away with an admirable seventh place in the overall

ST NEOTS Swans' Ben Fory travelled to Norwich last weekend to compete in the East Region Championships.

Fory, 13, was swimming against strong opposition from the six counties of the East Region, and came away with an admirable seventh place in the overall standings.

Of the 40 swimmers in his age group, 28 had posted faster times in qualifying for the championships, yet he won his heat comfortably in a time of 1.01.88 to progress to the final.

According to ASA conversions, Fory's time in the 50m Norwich pool converts to 59.09 in a standard 25m pool.

In the final he finished seventh with a time just two seconds shy of guaranteeing a place at the National Championships, which Fory has targeted as his next goal.

Swans Head Coach Linda Ashley-Davidson, said Fory's impressive performance came as no surprise.

"His amazing performance in this championship is what Swans have come to expect from him.

"Ben is the most committed swimmer and continually shows in club and regional competitions what rewards hard work and dedication to your chosen sport can bring," she said.

"Ben's performance has highlighted how close he is to being a swimmer who is able to compete at national level and this is somewhere where he really belongs. We are all immensely proud.