Enniskillen swimmer, Ellie McCartney, admitted she was surprised to have such a successful Commonwealth Youth Games.

McCartney was part of Team NI that finished fifth in the medal table for the games in Trinidad and Tobago, and she went some way to helping that with a fantastic two golds and a bronze.

“I’m very happy to come away with two golds and a bronze, as well as Team NI finishing 5th on the medal table. I was surprised to perform so well after only having a short break since my last competition, European juniors in Serbia, which was my targeted peak meet,” said McCartney who is now enjoying a well-earned holiday with her family.

McCartney’s first gold came following a fiercely contested 200m Women’s Breaststroke final in which she powered to victory over the final 50 metres ahead of English contender, Sienna Robinson.

Her second medal of the Games came in the 100m Breaststroke when she came third behind Robinson and Wales’ Theadora Taylor.

But she was back at the top of the podium following the 200m Individual Medley with a dominant race and made up a Northern Ireland 1-2 with Grace Davison.

Asked what the highlight of the Games was for her, McCartney said: “I would have to say winning the 200m IM and taking the 1-2 with my teammate and training partner, Grace Davison, it was a pretty special moment and the first time it happened in Team NI history!”

And looking back at the Games as a whole, McCartney said it was a change from her usual environment.

“It was definitely different to the environment I’m used to competing within Ireland. Luckily our team travelled out to Trinidad a couple of days beforehand to acclimatise and get used to the change in time zone.

“We had to adapt some of our warm-ups and recovery routine due to the extra heat and humidity, not to mention the tropical rain showers which caused some delays.

“Each competition is a learning experience, and when I get back to training, I will take a look at what went well and what I could’ve improved on and use that to improve my training.”

But for now, it is time for some well-earned rest, as McCartney switches off from swimming for a while: “At the moment, I’m taking a couple of weeks off training for summer, and like any other person my age will be receiving my A-level results this month.

“So depending on how they turn out will determine where I go for university, where I will continue my swimming in a new environment.”