Rio 2016: Sky Scholars Sam Oldham and Siobhan-Marie O'Connor impress
Friday 24 March 2017 11:57, UK
Two Sky Academy Sports Scholars turned on the fireworks at the weekend with an impressive showing one month before the Rio Olympics.
The pressure would have been immense for gymnast Sam Oldham as he competed at the London Open on Saturday in the final event before the British men's team is unveiled on July 12.
World pommel horse champion Max Whitlock won the all-around title ahead of Nile Wilson, but Oldham did not let anyone down with a superb performance.
The 23-year-old from Nottingham finished third overall in the all-around with a score of 88.300. He also won the floor exercise with 15.650.
Oldham said: "I'm very proud of my performances at the two Olympic trials and have no regrets which is all you can really ask for as an athlete.
"I feel incredibly grateful that with the help of my family and loved ones, my coach, the Sky Scholarship team and my sponsors I've made it to this point in my career."
Siobhan-Marie O'Connor may be in a slightly more relaxed frame of mind having already booked her spot in Rio but building her form and maintaining fitness is crucial over the next four weeks.
Bath's rising star grabbed the headlines by storming to victory in the 200 Individual Medley and 100 breaststroke at the Scottish National Championships in Glasgow.
The 20-year-old, gunning for her second Olympics, started off by taking the 200 IM in 2 minutes 9.36 seconds finishing over three seconds ahead of her rivals. Her time was just over her season's best of 2:09.03 and is currently second in the world rankings.
And in the very next event, she won the 100 breaststroke in 1min 6.34secs, setting a new British record and beating her season's and lifetime best by almost a second.
O'Connor said: "I am so pleased with my swims in Scotland. It was my last opportunity to race before Rio and I was really happy with the times.
"Plus I managed to break the British record in the 100 breast which was completely unexpected. My 200im was a good in season time too.
"I feel in a really good place and confident going into the last few weeks of training and taper."
WHAT'S COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS
1-10 JULY: Quillan Isidore, Euro Championships, Verona, Italy