Colchester Swimming Club on Commonwealth competitor: "She's such a role model"
Laura Stephens is a member of the club
The Commonwealth Games are underway after last night's opening ceremony and today the competitions kicks off.
Among lots of events taking place is the swimming, with Colchester Swimming Club's very own Laura Stephens competing in the butterfly.
Steve Redmond is chairman of the club, and remembers when Laura joined: "She started with another club and then came to Colchester when she was 10 or 11 years old.
"She was clearly a talent, as she was breaking regional records and all sorts of things.
"She then went away to train with Plymouth, so was part of two clubs. Now, she fits in all her training alongside a university degree - I don't know how she does it."
Whilst Laura no longer trains with Colchester Swimming Club, she's still a member, and makes an effort to pop in when she's nearby, to inspire the next generation of swimmers: "She comes back when she's at home, visits the club, encourages our youngsters and does some coaching and demonstrations with them.
"She even sometimes brings GB kit which we can then use for raffles to raise money. She's lovely."
Steve notes the club's young swimmers look up to her: "The key thing is that she's such a role model, and she's done it the right way, through hard work and being a really lovely person... we can't wait to support Laura."
Focusing more generally on the Commonwealth Games, Steve says the club is excited they're being hosted on home soil: "When you get a competition like this on home soil, it stokes everyone's interest. Those in the sport also enjoy looking out for friends and formers competitors."
He's hoping the Games will have a similar effect on the sport as the 2012 Olympics did: "I've been involved in swimming for twenty years and was at Colchester during the London 2012 Olympics.
"We saw a huge increase in interest and enquiries after the Olympics and we're hoping to see something similar from the Commonwealth Games...
"We have been hurt by the pandemic. We've lost members and haven't had a flow of new members through due to pools being closed - one of our pools was closed for 15 months. We've seen interest starting to pick up since lockdowns ended and hopefully these Games keep interest growing."
Here's some of the most memorable moments in the history of the Commonwealth Games:
Roger Bannister and John Landy, the first two men to crack the four-minute-mile, raced against each other the 1954 Vancouver Commonwealth Games, with Roger Bannister coming out victorious.
Precious McKenzie winning weightlifting gold again at Christchurch 1974, attracted the attention of The Queen and caused her to be late for an official engagement.
Nicola Adams won the first gold medal for women's boxing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014.
Jim Peters tragically collapses just before the finish line of his marathon in 1954. He reportedly crawled for 11 minutes before being put onto a stretcher.
Chantal Petitclerc, one of the most high-profile pioneers for para-sports, won gold in the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Allan Wells and Mike McFarlane in the Brisbane 1982 Commonwealth Games 200m both won a gold medal. This is the only gold draw in Commonwealth history.
Usain Bolt helped Jamaica win gold in the Men's 4x100m relay during the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Filbert Bayi set the world record in the 1,500m at the Christchurch 1974 Commonwealth Games.
Want to read more about the Commonwealth Games? Check these out:
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Everything you need to know Where are all the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games venues? Commonwealth Games: History of the games