EAST Lothian swimmer Sam Downie has broken the Scottish record for the para 50m backstroke while representing Team GB at the Rotterdam Qualification Meet in the Netherlands.

Downie, 17, competed for Great Britain at the event in Rotterdam last month.

The swimmer was born with caudal regression syndrome (or sacral agenesis), which mostly affects his back.

He took part in four events – 100m backstroke, 50m backstroke, 400m freestyle, and 200m freestyle – making the finals in three events.

Downie finished the 50m backstroke in 32.98 seconds, a Scottish record. He placed seventh overall in the race.

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Meanwhile, he finished fifth in the 400m freestyle with a time of 4m52.71s, and eighth in the 200m freestyle with a time of 2m24.07s.

He missed out on the final in the 100m backstroke.

Downie said: “It was a good experience. I got to travel over there on my own, which was good.

“I’m recovering from being ill so it wasn’t really about the time for me, just about the experience as I look ahead to next year.

“I was a bit slow in some of them, but I was delighted with the 50m.

“It’s always good to record strong times.”

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Downie, a swimmer for Musselburgh Amateur Swimming Club, has his sights on the Paralympics in Paris next year.

He said: “That’s the goal. That’s where I want to be, but I’m taking it one step at a time.

“That’s me done for Christmas now and I’ll be back focussing on it again in the new year.

“It would mean a lot to be at the Paralympics.”