2023 BRITISH SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2023 British Swimming Championships are on the horizon, with the action kicking off from Ponds Forge on Tuesday, April 1st.
The initial draft entries have been published which means we have a glimpse into the lineups key swimmers will most likely be taking on over the course of the six-day competition.
As a refresher, these Championships represent the sole qualifying opportunity British swimmers have to etch their names onto the nation’s roster for this summer’s World Championships. We reported how British Swimming has set very stiff times for its automatic consideration standards, with several even sitting inside the current national records.
British World Championships Qualification Times Are Faster Than National Records
We noted in our QT post that, as in the past, the British Swimming brain trust can still select swimmers for the Fukuoka roster at their own discretion.
Closer to the start of the meet we’ll present the top races to watch, as well as all the links you’ll need to follow along. In the meantime, below are the draft entries for high-profile contenders on the women’s side. The initial review doesn’t reveal anything too shocking or out of place, although there are some individual programs to consider.
13-year-old budding star Amelie Blocksidge is taking on a monster schedule, including both IM events, the 200m fly, as well as the 400m, 800m and 1500m free races. Blocksidge is the surging freestyle ace who keeps getting faster and faster with seemingly every swim. Most recently at the Swedish Grand Prix, the teen posted British Age Records of 4:15.06 in the 400m, 8:39.14 in the 800m 16:31.16 in the 1500m free. As quick as those results are for her age, Blocksidge and other distance freestylers will need to hit QTs of 4:02.16 in the 400m, 8:19.00 in the 800m and 16:56.86 in the 1500m in order to be automatically considered for Fukuoka.
Holly Hibbott is sticking to the 100m and 200m butterfly events and isn’t entered in any freestyle. She earned 400m freestyle silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and was also a member of England’s bronze medal-earning 4x200m free relay there on the Gold Coast. She raced both the 200m and 400m freestyles individually at the following year’s World Championships, however, in the past couple of years she has narrowed her focus to the fly events. At last year’s Commonwealth Games she earned a 7th place finish in the 100m and a 5th place finish in the 200m, while at the European Championships, her highest place came in as 9th in the 200m fly.
Abbie Wood is not listed among the 200m breaststroke competitors despite representing Great Britain’s 2nd fastest performer ever in the event. The reigning national record holder Molly Renshaw has since retired, so the door would be open for Wood to slide into the top spot for Fukuoka. Wood’s first event of the 200m freestyle appears on the competition schedule for day one while the 200m breast is on the agenda for day two, so there wouldn’t be an overlap of these events.
Leah Schlosshan is looking to make her mark on the senior level after somewhat surprisingly taking the European Junior Championships gold in the 200m IM last summer. Entering the meet in Romania her 2IM PB sat at 2:15.17 so her winning effort of 2:13.49 there knocked off well over a second. We’ll see what the 17-year-old has in store in this event, keeping in mind she’s currently entered in a packed schedule of both IMs, both breaststrokes and the 200m free.
Freya Anderson – 100m/200m free
Amelie Blocksidge – 200m/400m IM, 200m fly, 400m/800m/1500m free
Lilly Booker – 200m IM, 100m/200m breast
Imogen Clark – 50m /100m breast, 50m free
Freya Colbert – 200m back, 400m IM, 400m/800m free
Lauren Cox – 50m/100m back
Leah Crisp – 400m/800m/1500m free
Kathleen Dawson – 50m/100m back
Kara Hanlon – 50m/100m/200m breast
Medi Harris – 50m/100m back, 100m/200m free
Holly Hibbott – 100m/200m fly
Isabella Hindley – 50m/100m free
Lucy Hope – 100m/200m free
Anna Hopkin – 50/100m free
Emily Large – 100m/200m fly
Fleur Lewis – 400m/800m/1500m free
Keanna Macinnes – 100m/200m fly
Leah Schlosshan – 200m free, 200m/400m IM, 100/200m breast
Katie Shanahan – 100m/200m back, 200m/400m IM
Laura Stephens – 100m/200m fly
Abbie Wood – 100m/200m free, 200m IM