Wombourne swimmer beats off 140 rivals for bog snorkelling victory
A swimming sensation was on the crest of a wave when he stormed to victory in bog snorkelling at the World Alternative Games.
Daniel Norman, aged 18, defeated around 140 rivals, including swimmers from as far away as Germany and Sweden, as he triumphed in the 100-yard swim at the games in Llanwrtyd Wells, North Wales in one minute and 26 seconds.
The teenager, from Penn, swims competitively for Wombourne Swimming Club, and when he studied the times for previous winners, he knew he was in with a chance of becoming the Adam Peaty of the swamp. He said: "My dad found out about the bog snorkelling and told me about it, and I thought it'd be worth giving it a go.
"I looked at a few videos online and did a bit of research into the times and thought I might have a chance of winning it."
He added: "I did a bit of open water swimming before the competition to get myself used to swimming in dirty water. When I came to the competition I was used to it so it wasn't too bad.
"I was waiting around for quite a long time because there were 140 people who entered, and I was about 30th to record my time.
"People came from all over the place, there were even people who came from Germany and Sweden specifically to take part."
The event was part of the Alternative Games, which feature a number of quirky events.
Daniel added: "I'll definitely be back next year, I've got to defend my title."
