Freya Anderson & Josh Gammon Top The Podium In Rotterdam
Freya Anderson, Josh Gammon and Leah Crisp were among the winners on the first day of the Rotterdam Qualification Meet.
Anderson led throughout to win the 200 free despite the close attention of Belgium’s Sarah Dumont who came back at the Briton down the final 50.
Anderson won in 2:00.64, 0.13 ahead of Dumont (2:00.77) with Phoebe Cooper third in 2:02.28.
Gabriel Shepherd, who led off Great Britain to 4×100 free European junior bronze in Vilnius in July, overcame a deficit of 0.63 at the final turn to move past Germany’s Jonathan Turck to claim the men’s 200 free in 1:49.34 to 1:49.85. Koen Marsman of Team NL was third in 1:50.87.
Crisp, who competed in the open water at Paris 2024, went ahead at 650m in the 1500, moving past European junior champion and British senior gold medallist Amelie Blocksidge who was almost three seconds ahead at the 400m mark.
Crisp came home in 16:53.94 with 15-year-old Blocksidge – who makes her senior Great Britain debut at next month’s short-course worlds in Budapest – next home in 16:56.84, the pair the only women inside 17mins with Germany’s Julia Barth third in 17:01.12.
Moritz Erkmann Deutscher was a clear winner of the men’s race in 15:31.08 with Cristobal Vargas Trujillo of Spain coming past Johannes Liebmann on the final 100 to finish second in 15:37.99 to 15:39.40.
European junior champion Estella Llum Tonrath Nollgen prevailed in a thrilling women’s 200 back. She led Eszter Szabo Feltothy throughout the race but the Hungarian – who was 10th at the Olympics in Paris – ate into the deficit on the final 50.
Ultimately, the Spaniard won in 2:11.02 to 2:11.10 with Beatrice Varley of Plymouth Leander SC next home in 2:13.56.
Samuel Greenbank, of City of Sheffield Swim Squad, won the men’s 200 back in 2:00.04 with Matthew Ward (Aquatics GB) second in 2:01.51 and Carlos González Cabello of Spain third (2:02.39).
Gammon was in control throughout the 200 fly to claim victory by a 2.89sec margin in 2:00.02 with Émile Fouzaï second and Patrick Braddock third in 2:03.05.
Alina Baievych won the women’s race in 2:12.09 with Leni von Bonin making it a German 1-2 in 2:13.92 while Szabo Feltothy came from fifth at the final turn to move into third in 2:15.99 for her second medal of the night.
Koen de Groot won the men’s 50m breaststroke in 27.41 followed by Max Morgan (27.67) and Christoffer Tofte Haarsaker (28.20).
Sterre Hendriks was the only woman inside 32secs to win in 31.99 ahead of Joy Willekus (32.15) and Mabli Collyer of Aquatics GB (32.18).
In the para events in Rotterdam, five-time Paralympic champion Rogier Dorsman came away with two wins. The Netherlands swimmer won the 200 free S11 in 2:12.39 before clocking 33.26 in the 50m breaststroke SB11.
Teammate Liesette Bruinsma, with nine medals across three Paralympic Games, also claimed two first places in the 200 free S11 (2:24.24) and 50m breaststroke SB11 (40.62).