NATALIA Druett has soared to the top of the British rankings following a successful 2018.

The Abingdon Vale swimmer landed gold in the 200m breaststroke at the South East Winter Regionals competition in Portsmouth last month.

Her time of 2mins 31.07secs in the junior championship saw her become Britain’s No 1 in the 15-year-old age group.

Following the success, Druett has also been selected to compete for the South East at January’s Flanders Cup in Belgium.

Vale head coach Amanda Ford said: “To be selected to represent your region at an international event is a tremendous achievement and we are very proud of Natalia.

“She has worked extremely hard to improve her skills and this is now paying off with the amazing results she is achieving and being ranked top in the country at this event in her age group. We look forward to continuing to support Natalia through this exciting time.”