![Freya Colbert thumbs up 400m IM [MorganHarlowBritishSwimming]](https://vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Freya-Colbert-thumbs-up-400m-IM-MorganHarlowBritishSwimming-1024x683.jpg)
Freya Colbert Claims Third Title & Daniel Wiffen Does Distance Double At BUCS Championships
Freya Colbert claimed her third title of the meet and Daniel Wiffen completed the distance double on day two of the BUCS Championships (25m) in Sheffield).
Colbert won the 200 free and 200IM on the opening day at Ponds Forge. She returned for the long medley – in which she won the world title in Doha – where she led throughout to win in 4:35.51.
Lily Booker was second in 4:38.59 as the Loughborough teammates replicated their 1-2 from the 200IM with Beatrice Varley of Plymouth third home in 4:39.99.
Max Litchfield: Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala, Deepbluemedia
The men’s final was a thriller as Max Litchfield – fourth at three straight Olympics – and Charlie Hutchison traded the lead throughout.
Come the 350m mark and Litchfield held a 0.30 advantage before Hutchison covered the last two lengths in 26.93 to 27.24 to get the touch by the merest of margins in 4:05.93 to 4:05.94. Ed Whittles (Imperial) was third in 4:13.63.
Wiffen leaped to the top of the 1500 rankings in 14:31.81 on the opening day. The Irishman led from start to finish in the 800, touching in 7:39.67.
That was the fifth-swiftest of Wiffen’s career, topped by his world record of 7:20.46 set at the 2023 European Short-Course Championships, and sits fifth in 2024 with Pan Zhanle topping the rankings, the 100 free WR holder going 7:35.30 at the World Cup in Incheon, South Korea.
Tyler Melbourne-Smith was second in 7:46.51 as the pair replicated the outcome of the 1500 with Harry Wynne-Jones ensuring a Loughborough clean sweep in 7:51.88.
Fleur Lewis completed the distance double, adding the 800 to the 1500 title after overhauling Lucie Hanquet at the 450m mark to win in 8:31.17.
Hanquet was second in 8:36.04 with Lucy Fox making it a Loughborough clean sweep in 8:36.60.
Greg Butler (Loughborough) added the 100m breaststroke to his 50m title, the only man inside 59secs in 58.98. Rory Dickson (University of Stirling) came from fourth at halfway to move through to second in 59.65 with Archie Goodburn (Edinburgh University) third in 59.86.
Anna Morgan of Edinburgh Napier won the women’s equivalent in 1:06.09 followed by Booker, who won her second medal of the night in 1:07.26 followed by Kameliya Stoimenova (Swansea) in 1:07.49.
Just 0.05 separated the first three men home in the 100m freestyle with Jordan Cooley (Loughborough) taking the win in 47.93 ahead of backstroke specialist Oli Morgan of Birmingham University (47.95) and Calvin Fry (Loughborough) who clocked 47.98.
Honey Osrin: Photo Courtesy: Morgan Harlow, Aquatics GB
Evie Davies (University of Stirling) won the women’s race in 54.54 ahead of Aimee Monks (Swansea, 54.73) and Sophie De Groot (Loughborough, 54.86).
Cam Brooker moved away from the field from the 50m mark for a clear victory in the men’s 200 back, the Bath University swimmer stopping the clock in 1:52.98.
Morgan claimed his second silver of the night in 1:55.19 with Hendrik Van Der Leest (Bath) third home in 1:55.30.
Holly McGill came from 0.15 down at 150 to move past Olympic finalist Honey Osrin to take the women’s title, the Stirling swimmer touching in 2:05.30.
Osrin (2:05.51) and Colbert – with her second medal of the night in 2:05.51 – made it a Loughborough 2-3.
Josh Gammon – who will make his senior international debut for Aquatics GB at next month’s World Short-Course Championships – added the 50 fly to his 100 title in 22.96 with Lucy Grieve lifting the women’s crown in 26.43.