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Karen with her Six Nations gold medal she won in France.
Karen Maguire, 13, in her second year at St. Hilda’s High School, Burnley, has just won a gold medal for synchronised swimming, when she represented Great Britain in the Six Nations synchronised swimming competition held just outside Paris. The team of 8 girls from all over Great Britain had five figure routines as well as a number of swimming stunts to music to perform in their programme which lasted just under 5 minutes. Karen of Todmorden, started synchronised swimming at Todmorden Swimming Club and then in Halifax. Her other hobby is gymnastics. She swims every night after doing her homework, and at weekends she travels throughout the country to practise with the other girls. Fortunately, Karen has a travelling companion in another Todmorden girl, Suzanne Shorter.
Karen was thrilled to win gold, and to stand on the rostrum with the National Anthem playing. Although this was the first time she had been in France for a competition, she was in fact born near Paris when her parents were in the air force. Swimming is her first love, and when she leaves school she hopes to do something sporty.