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Jamieson Kit Safe; Simmonds Joins Bath

Nov 1, 2012

Olympic 200m breaststroke silver medallist, Michael Jamieson, Britain's most successful aquatic athlete at London 2012, has been reunited with his Olympic kit after he left it on a train.

The 23-year-old charge of coach Dave McNulty mislaid his bag when travelling from the British capital to Bathwas travelling from London back to his base at Bath's Intensive Training Centre. 

A tweet he sent out asking for his Olympic wash bag and track suit trousers to be returned with the rest of his stuff was spotted by a member of staff at ScotRail, who alerted sister train operator First Great Western.

A ind soul had handed the missing bag to lost property at Paddington, the London station where a bear once arrived from Peru and took on the name on the wall there.

Jamieson told reporters: "I had been to London and was going home quite late. I just got up and walked off the train without it. I never thought I would see it again - but it's great to finally have it back."

Meanwhile, Jamieson and McNulty have a new squad member in the shape of 200m backstroke ace Lizzie Simmonds. The 21-year-old was overhauled by another Elizabeth, Beisel, a Florida Gator, in the closing 25m of the 200m at London 2012 and had to settle for what many cit as the most frustrating place of them all - fourth.

Simmonds, a European champion who had spent four years at the Loughborough Intensive Training Centre under coach Ben Titley, who has moved to a new job in Ontario, Canada, told the media: "I needed a change, a completely different stimulus. Technically I'm still on a trial but it is going well - I like the set-up, I like the group."

She praised the Bath programme and its success with the likes of Jamieson, fellow Olympic finalist Andrew Willis and Siobhan-Marie O'Connor. 

"This may be a bit of a transition period for me but I think, in the long run, it will definitely be a very positive thing. This kind of set-up is perhaps more suited to what I need to get into the medals."