2022 BRITISH SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The opening night of finals from the 2022 British Swimming Championships in Sheffield will feature six different events, four of which have World Championship qualifying implications.
The women’s 200 free and 400 IM, plus the men’s 400 free and 100 breast, will have Budapest spots on the line, with the majority of the country’s top athletes in attendance.
Some names have been pre-selected to compete at the World Championships by virtue of their performances at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. They are as follows:
Additionally, James Guy, Anna Hopkin and Matt Richards will all earn a spot at Worlds due to the fact that they swam on in a relay final that won a medal in Tokyo.
Women’s 50 Breast Final
Imogen Clark (Derventio), 30.10
Sarah Vasey (Loughboro NC), 31.02
Kara Hanlon (Edinburgh Un), 31.13
22-year-old Imogen Clark took a serious run at her British Record in the final of the women’s 50 breaststroke, blasting her way to a time of 30.10 to clear the field by almost a full second.
Clark’s time falls just six one-hundredths shy of her National Record of 30.04, set at the 2018 Euros, and vaults her into #3 in the world for the 2021-22 season.
Loughborough’s Sarah Vasey, who set a best time of 30.23 en route to placing fourth in this event at the 2021 European Championships, took second in 31.02, while Edinburgh’s Kara Hanlon rounded out the podium in 31.13.
Hanlon lowers her PB for the second time today, having first brought it down from 31.42 to 31.34 in the preliminaries.
Men’s 50 Back Final
British Record: 24.04, Liam Tancock, 2009
Sebastian Somerset (Loughboro Un), 25.30
Scott Gibson (Edinburgh Un), 25.45
Liam White (Swansea Uni), 25.46
Canadian native Sebastian Somerset pulled out the victory in the men’s 50 backstroke in a time of 25.30, re-lowering his personal best of 25.65 set in the heats.
Somerset is currently attending Loughborough University, and his PB coming into the meet was 25.96 from the 2019 Canadian World Trials.
Edinburgh University’s Scott Gibson, who set a new Scottish Record of 25.38 in the heats, was the runner-up in 25.45, while the Swansea duo of Liam White (25.46) and Joe Small (25.48) took third and fourth.
Women’s 200 Free Final
British Record: 1:55.54, Joanne Jackson, 2009
Worlds Consideration: 1:56.28
Abbie Wood (Loughboro NC), 1:57.61
Freya Anderson (Bath NC), 1:57.63
Freya Colbert (Nova Cent’n), 1:57.90
In a replay of the 2021 Olympic Trials, Abbie Wood and Freya Anderson went head-to-head in the women’s 200 free final and were separated by mere hundredths at each wall leading into the final 50.
With Wood leading by .04 at the 150, the two produced near-identical final splits as Wood held off Anderson, 1:57.61 to 1:57.63, to book a win in the event.
At last year’s selection meet, the two were right together through the 150 before Anderson pulled away and earned the win.
Wood, who set a best time of 1:57.48 in that meet last year, is already pre-selected for Worlds in the 200 IM. Anderson has been as fast as 1:56.06, done back in January 2020, but wasn’t able to hit the minimum Worlds qualifying time of 1:56.28 here.
18-year-old Freya Colbert, who came in with a best time of 2:00.90, had a massive swim in 1:57.90 to take third, as she was right with Wood and Anderson throughout the whole race.
Top 3 Splits:
Colbert was a finalist in the 400 IM at the 2021 European Junior Championships, an event she will swim in the ‘A’ final of later in this session.
Medi Harris (1:59.44) and Tamryn Van Selm (1:59.80) made it five women sub-2:00 in the ‘A’ final.
By finishing in the top four, Anderson, Colbert and Harris will be considered for the team in the 4×200 free relay. The British qualifying criteria notes that finishing in the top four of the 100 and 200 free does not earn an athlete automatic qualification.
University of Stirling’s Lucy Hope, a 2020 Olympian, won the ‘B’ final in 1:59.70, well under what it took to make the ‘A’ final this morning (2:01.08). Hope swam a best of 1:57.65 at the 2021 British Trials to take third.
Men’s 400 Free Final
British Record: 3:43.75, James Guy, 2015
Worlds Consideration: 3:46.34
Daniel Jervis (Swansea Uni), 3:46.44
Luke Turley (Bath NC), 3:48.52
Kieran Bird (Bath NC), 3:48.58
Women’s 400 IM
British Record: 4:31.33, Hannah Miley, 2009
Worlds Consideration: 4:37.96
Men’s 100 Breast Final
British Record: 56.88, Adam Peaty, 2019
Worlds Consideration: 59.44