SWIMMER Jordan Ludlam won’t be forgetting his British Gas Age Group Championships debut in a hurry after the youngster returned home to Bradford on Avon with a haul of six medals.

The 13-year-old, who is a pupil at St Laurence School, earned a whopping 13 qualifying times for his first stab at the country’s biggest youth championships and enjoyed a dream bow as he won three golds and three silvers at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield.

Ludlam, who swims for the Bath-based Aquae Sulis Performance swimming club, touched home second in the 13-year-old boys’ 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley races.

But with rival Cameron Matthews, who triumphed in each race, representing Dubai’s Hamilton Aquatics, Wiltshire’s Ludlam also earned three golds as he was named a three-time national champion.

“I’m really happy – I wasn’t expecting to go there and do so well and I thought afterwards, ‘how have I done that?’,” said the Bradford medal-winner.

“I just wanted to go there and try and swim as many PBs as I could. I didn’t think that I’d go and win six medals.

“I wasn’t nervous about swimming because I never usually get worried about swimming but it was so much more competitive there.

“I’m used to everyone walking around chatting before races but all of the swimmers were sat down, raring to go and not talking to anyone.

“You couldn’t hear a single thing when you were swimming because it was just so loud with everyone screaming.

“It was really busy and I was just so tired at the end of it.

“My mum (Laura) took a picture of me asleep in the car and put it on Twitter but I couldn’t do anything about it because I was just so tired.”

Ludlam’s stunning Sheffield performance also saw him notch up a new Scottish record, with his swim of 4:47:40 in the 400m medley beating the previous 13-year-old boys’ top time.

The Bradford youngster, who only joined Aquae Sulis last February and is coached by John Dougall, also finished second overall in his age group in the national BAGCATS (British age group Categories) competition.

Dad Scott added: “He just did so well up there “Things have really taken off for him in the last few months and he’s just gone so much further than we ever expected.”

MORE SPORTS NEWS, PICTURES AND REACTION IN THIS FRIDAY’S WILTSHIRE TIMES. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @WTSport