Freya Anderson gave a hint of an exciting 2020 to come when she took a sledgehammer to her 200m freestyle PB as she came away from the Flanders Cup in Antwerp, Belgium, with three gold medals.
James Guy won the 100 free as he too enjoyed a successful weekend that saw the Bath National Centre swimmer make three trips to the top of the podium.
Freya Anderson – Photo Courtesy: LEN
Anderson won the 200m title in a PB of 1:56.06, taking a 1.45sec chunk off the mark she set in the world semis in Gwangju, South Korea last summer, as well as slicing 0.49 off Femke Heemskerk‘s meet record from 2018.
She now stands third British woman all-time with 2008 400m bronze medallist Joanne Jackson still heading the way with her time of 1:55.54 from the 2009 World Championships in Rome with Siobhan O’Connor next in line with 1:55.82 en-route to silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The 18-year-old returned to win the 50m freestyle in 25.14 – after setting a new PB of 25.06 in morning heats – and then rounded off her weekend by anchoring an Ellesmere Titans 4x100m freestyle quartet home in 53.44 as they came third of three squads in the final event of the competition.
It followed victory in the 100m free on Saturday in 53.81, 0.5secs off the personal best she set in the semis in Gwangju.
Despite her tender years, the Ellesmere Titans swimmer has a calm maturity in the water evidenced by metronomic splits in the 200m of 27.53 29.81; 29.57; 29.15 as she came home in a time that would have seen her to sixth at last year’s worlds.
Annika Bruhn was second in 1:59.29, holding off Valentine Dumont by 0.03secs to replicate the top three from the 100m on Saturday.
Given now is the time for gruelling work and banking those metres to be drawn on later this year, it hints at a successful season for Anderson.
Quite what form that will take is of course unknown but the fact she has continued her performances from the end of 2019 when she won double gold at the European Short-Course Championships augurs well in Olympic year.
James Guy – Photo Courtesy: Gian Mattia D’Alberto/LaPresse
Guy added the 100m free title to the 200m and 100 fly he claimed on Saturday, the Briton coming from third at halfway to come back in 25.62 and take gold in 49.52 ahead of Kyle Stolk (49.61) and Thomas Thijs (49.80).
Jacob Whittle became the fastest 14-year-old in history last year and twice crashed through the 50-second barrier in 49.97.
On Sunday he finished equal fourth with Sebastien De Meulemeester in 50.14, the youngster showing few nerves when mixing it with the seniors.
It was a British age-group record for the 15-year-old and his second of the day after the Derventio eXcel swimmer lowered Craig McLean‘s 2014 mark of 50.53 by 0.11 in morning heats.
Anton Ipsen added the 1500fr title to the 400 gold he won on Saturday in a meet record of 15mins 00.45secs and lowering Mykhaylo Romanchuk‘s meet mark of 15:05.57 from 2017.
Ellen Walshe set a new Irish record in the 100m butterfly – her time of 59.54 making her first Irishwoman to crack the minute mark and lowering Shauna O’Brien‘s previous record of 1:00.21 from 2015.
Holly Hibbott won the women’s 400 free in 4:13.74 but it was her heat time that was notable, the Briton touching in 4:05.01, a fine effort with finals also set for the mornings at Tokyo 2020.
Mie Nielsen, 2016 Olympic medley relay bronze medallist with Denmark, upgraded her silver medal in the 50m backstroke to gold over 100m in 1:00.14 ahead of British pair Cassie Wild and Jessica Fullalove, Thea Blomsterberg won the 200m breaststroke in 2:27.50 and Nathalia Almeida swapped 400IM silver to gold in the shorter medley in 2:18.42.
Kotryna Teterevkova added the 50m breaststroke title to 100m gold in 31.62 while fellow Lithuanian Andrius Sidlauskas led home a one-two in the 100m breaststroke ahead of Giedrius Titenis.
The pair clocked identical times of 28.54 at the halfway point with Sidlauskas coming home in 32.44 to win in 1:00.98, 0.15secs ahead of his compatriot with Ireland’s Darragh Greene in third.
Arjan Knipping, 2019 world finalist, won the men’s 4ooIM in 4:21.47, Elliot Clogg of the City of Sheffield club won the 200 back (1:58.92) and Viktor Bromer overhauled Louis Croenen in the 200 fly by 1:58.92 to 1:58.96.
Shane Ryan, of Ireland, added the 50m backstroke to his two-length victory on Saturday in 24.90, Konrad Czerniak won the 50 fly in 23.56 and a Netherlands quartet headed the men’s 4x100m free relay in 3:19.79.