CHELTENHAM swimmer Hannah McCarthy won the silver medal in the 14/15 age group of the 50m freestyle at the British Gas ASA Youth and ASA National Championships.

It was brilliant finale to a busy year for the 15-year-old who trains primarily at Cheltenham Swim Club with coach Simon Cooper but also attends extra sessions at Gloucester City Swim Club with Coaches Graham Brookhouse and Andy Osborne.

Hannah has been part of the Welsh 2014 Commonwealth Relay Development squad this year, the conditions of which were that she should have access to at least nine training sessions a week.

This was not possible in Cheltenham alone and so she has been training with Gloucester City swimmers in a co-operative venture between the two clubs.

She swam to a new lifetime best time of 26.90 seconds in a thrilling final at the Ponds Forge Pool in Sheffield, to gain the silver medal.

The last Cheltenham swimmer to win a medal at a National Championships was David Taylor in 1997.

Earlier in the week Hannah qualified for the semi-finals of the 100m freestyle where she again swam a new personal best time of 59.31 before finishing in 15th place.

Hannah's training this year has involved attending camps in Swansea with the Welsh squad, which she has found particularly motivational and she hopes that her results at Nationals will enable her to maintain her place on the Development Squad.

Her success at Nationals was the culmination of a steady competitive season in which she also won gold in the 50m Freestyle, silver in the 200m Freestyle and bronze in the 100m Freestyle at the South West District Championships in May.

Hannah was fortunate to receive a bursary from the Ben Jeffrey Fund and the Cheltenham Sports Council which covered the cost of a competition costume for the Nationals.