Swimming star Ross wants to Do More for young hopefuls

Ross with some of the youngsters who took part in the Do More Challenge event at Tollcross.

The 23-year-old was at Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow to take part in a special training event with young swimming hopefuls from all over Scotland.

The Strathmore Do More Challenge aims to encourage more Scots to get active and Do More this January.

A number of young swimmers from various parts of the country - from Glasgow and Bellshill to Rothesay and St Andrews - won the chance to train with their hero.

Murdoch made his major breakthrough at Tollcross in the Glasgow 2014 Games when he got the better of home favourite Michael Jamieson to lift Commonwealth 200 metres breaststroke gold.

In 2015 Ross won 100m bronze at the World Championships and was part of the gold medal winning mixed relay squad.

Last year he competed in the 100 metres breaststroke at the Olympics in Rio, reaching the semi-finals, and then went on to win a complete set of gold, silver and bronze medals at the European championships.

Ross was able to share his experiences as part of a special one-to-one training session to help motivate and inspire swimmers closer to home to achieve their personal goals.

With the aim of encouraging Scots to become more active and lead healthier lifestyles, the Strathmore Do More Challenge launched last year as part of a social media competition challenging Scots of all ages and levels of ability to share photos getting active and having fun.

Ross said: “The response to the Strathmore Do More Challenge was fantastic and I really enjoyed meeting competition winners to share in their passion for swimming as well as helping to give them advice on how improve their technique and confidence in the pool.

“Swimming is one of the most accessible activities to participate in no matter what your age or ability.

“It’s also really fun and rewarding and I’d encourage anyone to get down to their local pool and do more in the New Year.”

Strathmore is the water at the heart of Scottish sport and joined forces with three of Scotland’s Olympic heroes - Ross Murdoch, Mingavie cyclist Katie Archibald and Paralympic star Samantha Kinghorn – to create Team Strathmore.

The Do More Challenge hopes to help boost participation in swimming, cycling and running.