Stonehaven teenager smashes records at British Swimming Championships

An Aberdeenshire school pupil has enjoyed an incredible weekend after blowing his personal bests out the water at the London Aquatics Centre.

Dean Fearn, 16, from Stonehaven, was up against some of the UK's fastest swimmers at the Speedo British Swimming Championships last weekend.

The Lathallan School S5 pupil was named the school's Sports Personality of the Year, and he took his talents in the pool to the championships in search of an impressive performance.

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During the event, Dean - Aberdeen Dolphin coached by Laura Bowie - competed in four events including some of Britain's fastest junior swimmers.

He reached the final in all four events, achieved four personal bests, three Scottish junior records, and three European junior consideration times.

In the 200m Backstroke Junior Final, Dean dipped under the European Junior nomination standard in a Scottish Junior record of 2:02.12.

Reflecting on the championships, Dean said: "I’ve had an amazing week and I’ve been really happy with my swims. I’ve PB’d in everything and I think the one I’m most proud of is my 100 fly. That was a PB by over a second.

"I’ve learned a lot, this is a new pool to me, I’ve not swam here before and it’s good to discover new pools and see how they feel. Overall, I’m really happy, three Euro Junior consideration times."

In 2023, Dean was selected as one of only three Scottish swimmers to take part in the European Youth Olympics in Maribor, Slovenia - the only one from the north and north-east.

While competing in the event, he took on competitors two years older than him, before having a quick turnaround to prepare for the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago.

After this event, Scottish Swimming reported: "15-year-old Dean Fearn, who was the youngest swimmer in the group, delivered a glorious gold medal in the 50m Butterfly – bettering the rest of the field with his excellent form and gritty determination.

"His medal set the standard for his fellow swimmers and opened the floodgates for the highest number of golds won by a swimming group at the games since 2004."

Dean has now arrived back in Stonehaven and will prepare for the Scottish National Age Group Swimming Championships, set to take place on April 10-14 at Aberdeen Sports Village.