Williams breaks European records at Italian Championships

Crawley Town Lifesaving Club star Zara Williams, right, after setting a new European 50m Manikin Carry record with Italian team-mate Alice Marzella who was third SUS-180406-115918002

Williams was invited by Italian Super Star Lifesaving team Rane Rosse to compete in the first round of the Italian National Pool Championships.

It was held at the 50m indoor ten-lane pool at Riccione on Italy’s Adriatic coast which is the intended venue for the World Lifesaving Championships RESCUE 2020.

The event was being used to select Italy’s national teams for the forthcoming Youth European in Ireland and Open World Championships taking place in Adelaide, Australia, later this year.

Crawley Town Lifsaving Club's Marina Macartney on the beach in Cannes SUS-180406-120014002

Zara was one of five overseas swimmers competing for Rane Rosse which included current world record holder for 100m tow, Frances Justine Weyders, and world record holder for 100m carry with fins and European 100m rescue medley holder Magali Rousseau.

Also competing at the championships was Italy’s Silvia Meschiari, current European record holder for the 200m obstacles and 200m Super Lifesaver.

Under Italian rules, clubs are only permitted a maximum of 12 overseas event entries, so Zara was restricted to competing in her favoured 50m manikin carry, for which she is the current world champion, and the 100m rescue medley, for which she is the current British champion and record holder.

She not only convincingly won both events but in doing so set two new European records when recording a time of 33.71 seconds in the carry and one minute, 10.39 seconds for medley rescue, beating her team-mate and former European recorded holder Magali into second place.

Crawley Town’s Marina Macartney represented the club in both the Olympic pool and on the beach at the prestigious Rip Curl International Lifesaving Championships taking place at Cannes, France.

It coincided with the world famous film festival.

On this occasion Marina’s best results came on the beach when making the surf swim, board and 100m sprint finals in a world-class field.

Sadly on this occasion she had the disadvantage of being the only Crawley Town competitor present, so just missed out on the final in the very tactical, rough and tumble of the beach flag final.

Both ladies now have their eyes firmly set on making the GBR RESCUE 2018 team to be announced shortly. To find out more about the Sport of Lifesaving and the Crawley Town Life Saving Club, please visit their website at www.crawleytownlsc.com