Scottish Catholic Observer

A Young Catholic swimmer has become a worldwide sensation after winning a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games.

Erraid Davies—who, at 13 years old, is the youngest ever competitor to win a Commonwealth Games medal—finished third in the para-sport women’s 100m breaststroke last Sunday. Along with her family, the Shetland schoolgirl is a regular pilgrim at the New Dawn in Scotland conference, and in 2006, whilst in a wheelchair on pilgrimage to the Vatican, she was lifted into the Popemobile, as reported in the SCO.

“A few years ago now we took her to meet the Pope and she was lifted up from the crowd and put in the Popemobile—she was a cute wee blonde, curly haired girl so she just gets attention,” her mother Joyce told the SCO this week. “But normally she just lives a normal life like any other 13-year-old girl.”

Erraid’s pool triumph began trending worldwide on Twitter as her story moved millions across the globe. Erraid, her sisters and parents are parishioners at St Margaret’s Church, Lerwick.

“We are very committed Catholics and Erraid has a very strong Faith herself,” Mrs Davies added. “And we believe that her talent is something that she has been given by God and she works hard at it and is committed to it.”

Erraid was born in Dundee with a rare hip condition called Perthes’ disease that hampered her ability to walk for large parts of her early life. She took up swimming as a way to combat the debilitating condition.

The family’s priest arranged for them to attend a general papal audience in 2006 and one of the security people asked if it would be okay to put Erraid in the Popemobile.

“The fact that she done well didn’t surprise us,” her mother added about her Commonwealth bronze. “She’s a very confident, happy girl and swimming is her passion and has been for a while and I guess that showed on her face.”

The swimming sensation made her Confirmation at St Margaret’s, where she was in the class of catechist Patricia Loynd.

“It’s a small community here and everyone knows everyone else. I’m sure her parents must be very proud and we are very proud,” Mrs Loynd said.

Scotland’s youngest ever Commonwealth Games competitor kept her appearance at Glasgow 2014 from her school friends, saying she didn’t know how to tell them.

“But they know now and I’ve had lots of messages,” she said following her swimming success. “It was just amazing walking out to a home crowd. It was really loud! I knew there was a chance of a medal so I just kind of went for it.”

The young Catholic was unable to attend New Dawn this year as the conference was held just weeks before the Games, however she has attended a number of times in the past.

Erraid, who travelled to Bellahouston Park in 2010 for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Scotland, trains in the pool ten times a week, and twice a month travels from Shetland to the Scottish mainland to compete against able-bodied swimmers. The youngster’s swimming coach has now said that with enough work she could compete in the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016.

- Read the full version of this story in August 1 edition of the SCO in parishes from Friday.

— Pic: PA PHOTOS