Marie Atkinson returned with a great medal haul from the 10th World Masters Swimming Championships held in Riccione, Italy.

The week-long championships attracted a record 8,700 competitors in the swimming events alone, with a further 900 in the open water and more in the diving, synchro and water polo events.

Atkinson, from Wilmington, has been training specifically for this championship for the last 12 months, and following recent success at the British Masters Championships she was able to figure prominently in the distance freestyle events in her age group 25-29 years.

She faced tough competition, competing against the likes of Olympic medallists from Sydney and international swimmers from strong swimming nations such as the USA, Germany and the Netherlands.

The last time Atkinson had swum in Italy was when she represented Great Britain at the World University Games in 1997, and this proved to be a successful return.

She certainly saved the best until last, taking a silver medal in the 3km open-water sea swim on the final day of competition.

After a mass start in the murky waters off the beach, in Riccione, in which she did well, she then picked off the opposition one by one to finish in second place behind former German international Daniela Baumgardt. Prior to the sea-swim, Atkinson had been swimming at the Aquatic Centre, competing alternate days in the indoor and outdoor 50-metre pools.

Days one and three in the familiar environment of the indoor pool brought her most success in the pool, with bronze medals in the 400m and 800m freestyle.

On day six in the 200m freestyle she was unlucky to miss the medals finishing fourth in a close finish.

In her non-favoured sprint events, the 50m and 100m freestyle, for which she did little preparation, she still finished a creditable 18th and ninth respectively, proving her ability across the range of freestyle events.

Atkinson puts her success in Italy down to the support of her partner, family and her partner's family, who travelled out to support her.

She also says that without the ongoing support of those at the Eric Liddell Sports Centre, in Mottingham, where she does all her pool training, she would definitely not have won so many medals.

Atkinson said: "The management at the centre have been fantastic and the other members who also swim in the mornings have been great, allowing me to have space in the lanes to do my sessions uninterrupted.

"I owe a lot to them, as without their help I could not have trained properly."

She is now looking forward to a relaxing summer, with minimal swimming, after which she will decide what her next target will be.