Islington girl going to great lengths to beat school swimming record

Olivia Dunne, eight, broke a swimming record for pupils at Hugh Myddelton Primary, Clerkenwell, which had stood for ten years.

She swam 32 lengths (800 metres) non-stop at Highbury Pool in Highbury Crescent on June 30 to accomplish the feat.

Olivia, a pupil at the school in Myddelton Road, smashed the record during a routine lesson and did not realise the significance of the swim until returning to the classroom.

Father Kellie said: “She broke it accidently you could say and was over the moon. Olivia has only been swimming a couple of years.”

He added: “I’m really proud of her.”