Adam Peaty’s world record in the 100 breaststroke today at the British nationals capped off a session in which he was the only person to beat the very tough automatic qualifying times for the world championship team set by British Swimming.
Peaty blazed through the final with a 57.92, beating the world record of 58.46 by Cameron Van Der Burgh swum at the 2012 Olympics. Peaty split 27.04 at 50 meters to put him just three hundredths ahead of Van Der Burgh’s split then churned out a stunning 30.88 to become the first swimmer under 58 seconds. The 20-year-old now owns two long course world records, claiming the 50 breast record in the semifinals of the European championships last summer with a 26.62. Peaty had already owned the world’s fastest time with a 59.04 from earlier this year that now seems fairly pedestrian by his newly-formed standards.
Placing second in the historic race with a time that would be jaw-dropping on its own was Ross Murdoch with a 59.13. Great Britain now celebrates the two fastest men in the world in 2015 in the event.
Watch British swimmer @adam_peaty set a new WORLD RECORD in the 100m breaststroke! 57.92 INCREDIBLE!!! #BSC15 pic.twitter.com/xo5zPCHGLx
— Nick Hope (@NickHopeTV) April 17, 2015
After getting touched out in the 100 freestyle after many years of leading the nation in the event, Fran Halsall took the 50 free title with a 24.37. That’s four tenths slower than she swam to set a world textile best to win the Commonwealth Games title last summer, and two hundredths of a second slower than Team GB’s automatic cut of 24.35. Halsall ranks fourth in the world with the swim, and will wait to see if she will get the opportunity to swim at worlds and get on the medal podium again after securing bronze in the event in 2013. Halsall could not be touched in the event, finishing nine tenths ahead of runner-up Lauren Quigley, who posted a 25.22.
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, who was the top British swimmer at last year’s Commonwealth Games in the 100 fly with a silver medal performance, could only muster third place in tonight’s nationals finals. O’Connor, one day after posting the fastest 200 IM in the world, posted a 58.37 behind the 58.07 by runner-up Jemma Lowe. Winning the event was Rachael Kelly with a 57.72 after posting a 57.71 in prelims that put her fifth in the world but outside the qualifying time of 57.43 that would have automatically put her on the worlds roster.
Ben Proud was the only swimmer under 22 seconds in the men’s 50 free final with a 21.99. He’s tied for sixth in the world with Finland’s Ari-Pekka Liukkonen as only one of seven men under the barrier so far in 2015. As was the case through the session, Proud’s fast time couldn’t approach the British automatic qualifying time of 21.65. Proud is the only swimmer remaining in the previous generation of top British sprinters that included Adam Brown, making way for rising stars Thomas Fannon to finish second with a 22.48 and Andrew Weatheritt to place third with a 22.50.
Dan Wallace, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion in the 400 IM and a 2013 worlds finalist in the event, won tonight with a 4:12.78. That’s not far off the 4:11.20 he swam last year to win at Commonwealths, a big achievement given that he came off the NCAA championships just two weeks ago. He’ll have to wait to see if it’s fast enough to get back to the world championships, as he falls shy of the automatic qualifying time of 4:10.49, which is faster than Wallace’s national record of 4:11.09 from the Commonwealth Games heats. Roberto Pavoni kept pace with Wallace through 250 meters, but fell back to finish second with a 4:14.37. Lewis Smith took third with a 4:18.24.
Sophie Taylor got into the top 15 in the women’s 100 breast world rankings with a 1:07.39. It’s currently 12th with seven swims in the low-1:07 range ahead of her. Sarah Vassey took second with a 1:08.12 ahead of the 1:08.37 by Molly Renshaw.
Wow!!! Congrats!
na am
Not sure that Ben Proud is part of the previous generation of British sprinters as he is only 20 and only came to the fore last year. He’s really the spearhead of the new generation.
Amazing !
Timon Wedekind Kasper Leisted Bertelsen hooooooly shiiiiiet
Wow
Ryan Hore wat
Holy!!
Ryan Hore wat
Holy!!
Fine and dandy but see him do it at Rio and it will be a different result.
No it won’t…..
I recall running into a David Wilkie in the pool head on at the University of Miami, Florida USA, when comming off my backstroke wall pullout and gave the UK bloke a goggle black eye. I was training for Kenyon College and he was an international university swimmer for the Hurricanes. Needless to say, he ended up with the only gold metal the USA did not get at Montreal 1976 and it happened to be in breastroke where he beat out John Henken fron the USA. You think history repeats itself? I don’t think so Joshua for this event or for the UK or for any world record in the Rio Olympics 2016. The USA has two of three university breastrokers going 50-51 for 100 yard short course where three turns and pullouts are different than one in an Olympic pool. By the way, the Montreal 1976 men;s team used my secondary school pool for theit training camp in Canton, Ohio USA-home of the National Pro Football Hall of Fame next to the swimming complex-and I know alot of the folks on that best team ever at the Olympics!!
Short course times are quicker though. I will back him to get the gold in Rio. By all means if he doesn’t you can find this post and tell me I’m wrong haha he’s constantly improving and I think there’s more to come. I have a friend who trains with him and said Adams workrate in training in phenomenal so my money’s on him. I’ve also raced against him and the power he has is unreal! Who you thinking will win?
Depends….ones on paper do not always perform at a high level at the Olympics. If he has ampt of international competition, if he has sufficient experience other than at only he European Championships, and if he continues to be healthy, stay in shape, train properly, then he will have to produce it all in Rio. FINA World Championships, Pan Pacs, and all are the proving grounds. He could easily choke in Rio to someone from Japan, Russia, or the USA.
Fair enough. I guess the World Champs will be a good time for him to swim against international competition and prove his ability. The Japanese always tend to produce fast breaststrokers so I’d say if he was to be beaten it would be from there. But we will see what the U.S. have on offer at the Worlds!
Brian Cortes….Anton Lobanov…be nice to see him do well and be a new face on the podium at World Championships. Yes, the Japansese had a corner on that event for a long time. For me, at my age, brreastoke is alot easier on my aching bones an shoulders! Used to be a backstroker and sprinter….you just never know who shows up at these meets too…
Brian Cortes … do you mean Kevin Cordes? Google of “Brian Cortes” turned up nothing related to swimming.
Alex Peach
I know…. wow
Wow. The British cuts are certainly asinine. I hope whomever put them together is really feeling the embarrassment they have so fully earned.
Andrew Catchpole
Casey Barrett