City of Bradford Swimming Club's Sian Morgan had her first taste of an Olympic trial when she competed in the British Championships at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

The 13-year-old from Ilkley participated in eight events and notched personal bests in four - the 100 metres butterfly and the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle.

Her other swims were in the 50m and 100m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley.

These swims also qualified her for the National Championships to be held at the new 50-metre pool in Liverpool later this year.

The competition was excellent experience for Sian, who trains with Bradford Council's Sport and Leisure Service under the guidance of head coach Andy Pearce.

She is part of British Swimming's 2012 Target Squad and in four years' time will herself be competing for a place in the Olympic team.

The trials produced some stunning performances, including a world record in the 50m backstroke by Liam Tancock of Loughborough, and a European record in the 400m individual medley by Hannah Miley of Garioch.

Meanwhile, another avenue towards the 2012 London Olym-pics is being taken by City of Leeds duo Emma Graham and Rachel Gardener.

They are among 22 who have been named for the FINA World Youth Championships in Monterrey, Mexico from July 8 to 13 based on their performances at Sheffield.

In the first leg of the FINA World Diving Series in Mexico, Britain's Tandi Gerrard and Hayley Sage continued to impress with a fourth-place finish.

Gerrard (City of Leeds) and Sage (City of Sheffield) missed out on a medal by less than a point in the women's three-metro synchro in Tijuana.

However, their score was an excellent 300.54. China took the gold with 342.00, Russia the silver with 305.10 and the bronze went to the USA in 301.20.

* Despite reports of the decline in swimming facilities, it would seem that the nation's love of the sport itself continues apace, particularly if the views of British parents are anything to go by.

A new survey, conducted on behalf of Kellogg's - a long-standing supporter of the Amateur Swimming Association - has revealed that 99 per cent of parents with young children agree that swimming is an important life-skill for a child to acquire, yet one in five admit their children are weak swimmers or cannot swim at all.

Meanwhile, 87 per cent of parents recognise swimming is a great form of exercise for kids, with 51 per cent believing swimming to be an intrinsic part of childhood.