Daniel Wiffen Completes Treble & Freya Colbert Makes It Five As BUCS Championships End
Daniel Wiffen completed the freestyle treble and Freya Colbert left Sheffield with five individual titles as the BUCS Championships wrapped up.
Wiffen had already clinched the 800 and 1500 during the opening two days – with a world-lead of 14:31.81 in the longest race – before arriving at Ponds Forge for the final session.
He tracked Tyler Melbourne-Smith to the 250m mark of the 400 when he went ahead and held a 0.71 advantage. His Loughborough teammate came back at him on the final two lengths which he covered in 27.14 to Wiffen’s 27.56 but the Irishman had too much in the bank and claimed the win in 3:43.22, the fifth-fastest of his career.
Melbourne-Smith was second behind Wiffen for the third time in Sheffield, clocking 3:43.51 with Harry Wynne-Jones ensuring a Loughborough clean sweep of the podium in 3:49.28 as the trio replicated their finishing positions in the 800.
Colbert won the 200IM, 400IM and 200 free on the opening two days. She added the 100IM in 1:00.33 to sweep the individual medley races before winning the women’s 400 free by more than seven seconds in 4:02.32.
Josh Gammon – who will make his senior international debut at next month’s World Short-Course Championships – ensured a sweep of the butterfly events with victory in the 200 fly in 1:55.35 ahead of Max Litchfield (1:56.46) and Charlie Hutchison (1:58.19).
Laura Stephens won the women’s race with the world champion stopping the clock in 2:07.65 ahead of Lucy Fox (2:08.86).
Greg Butler swept the breaststroke events thanks to winning the 200 in 2:06.22 with Lily Booker winning the women’s race in 2:23.54.
Kornelia Fiedkiewicz of Loughborough was the only woman inside 25 as she won the 50 free in 24.78 with Calvin Fry edging a close men’s race in 21.67.
Lauren Cox – the 2023 world bronze medallist – was almost a second clear in the 50 back in 27.18 with Oli Morgan taking the men’s title in 23.81. Lewis Fraser won the men’s 100IM in 53.52.