Scotland’s double Commonwealth Games Champion David Carry rose to the challenge to finish an impressive third in the men’s race at the British Gas Great Scottish Swim at Strathclyde Park.

The event, part of a GB series, is officially the biggest open-water swim in Scotland and Carry finished with the bronze medal behind Russia’s Danil Serebrennikov and Germany's Jan Wolfgarten in the one mile race.

Germany's Britta Kamrau won a glittering array of talent in the women’s race, completing the one-mile course in an impressive time of 18 minutes 56 seconds.

Kamrau was followed by Olympic 10km champion Larisa Ilchenko (18 minutes 58 seconds) in second place and Great Britain's Keri-anne Payne (19 minutes 1 second) in third.

The elite swimmers were joined in the Strathclyde Country Park Loch – the venue for the triathlon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games –  by around 1,000 other swimmers, ranging from champion Scottish triathlete Fraser Cartmell to club swimmers, leisure swimmers and a host of brave charity fundraisers.

The event has also captured the imagination of some personalities including BBC Scotland newsreader and keen swimmer Jackie Bird and self-styled adventurer and Sky Sport’s journalist Julian Crabtree. Crabtree is attempting to swim every wave of each Great Swim.  This totals 48 miles – the equivalent of swimming the English Channel and back.

“I would like to thank everyone who took part in the event, including those who cheered the swimmers on from the side of the loch, for making the first British Gas Great Scottish Swim a resounding success,” said event director, Colin Hill.

“The elite swimmers are the pinnacle of their sport while it was also encouraging to see so many other swimmers, many of whom were swimming in open water for the first time.

“We’re already looking to next year’s event and this gives us a great base to build on.”

The next event in the Great Swim Series – the Great North Swim – takes place on 12 and 13 September, followed by the Great East Swim on 26 September.