The final night of competition from the 2017 British Swimming Championships from Sheffield featured four World Championship qualification events. James Guy dueled Duncan Scott in the 200 free on Sunday night as those two swam 1:45’s to move to second and third in the world rankings. The top four in that race pose as solid threats to the Americans this summer in that relay. Sarah Vasey and Alys Thomas also picked up wins in the 100 breast and 100 fly as their times along with Georgia Davies’ and Freya Anderson’s added up to be under the selection time for the 4×100 medley relay.
2017 British Swimming Championships Day Six Results – Results
Tonight’s Events:
- Men’s 50 Butterfly
- Women’s 100 Butterfly
- Men’s 200 Backstroke
- Women’s 100 Breaststroke
- Men’s 200 Freestyle
Men’s 50 Butterfly
Last night, Ben Proud had a huge swim in the 50 free with the fastest time of 2017 and a swim inside the top 10 all-time. Proud continued that momentum into Sunday night with a 22.80 for the fastest time of 2017 again. Proud is not far off of Rafael Munoz’s world record from 2009 (22.43) as he did get under his own British Record (22.93) from the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Proud jumped over Russia’s Oleg Kostin (23.27) who had the lead over him before after this morning’s prelims. Proud was fourth at the Olympics last summer in the 50 free and is looking dangerous for World Championship medals as we head in to the summer.
Proud swam away from Adam Barrett who finished second at 23.52 as he is now fifth in the world. Robert Fannon (24.28), Sean Campsie (24.33), Alasdair Wright (24.34), Adam Taylor (24.41), Alexander Bowen (24.56) and Jacob Peters (24.91) also swam in the championship final.
Women’s 100 Butterfly
Alys Thomas won her first British title of the week as she took out the 100 fly with a 57.85. She was a little off the consideration time for Budapest but she could still get picked up for the medley relay. We will have to see what happens in the 100 breast final. Thomas is now sixth in the world behind Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom (57.12), Australia’s Emma McKeon (57.27), Canada’s Penny Oleksiak (57.35), Russia’s Svetlana Chimrova (57.42) and Japan’s Rikako Ikee (57.43).
Thomas held off Charlotte Atkinson (58.22) and Rachael Kelly (58.41). Emily Large (59.54), Harriet Jones (59.96), Laura Stephens, Harriet West (1:00.04) and Isabel Spinley (1:00.94) also swam in the championship final.
Men’s 200 Backstroke
Luke Greenbank was a little off the consideration time for the 200 back as he won with a 1:57.67. Greenbank had been a promising junior swimmer as he won the 2015 European Games in the 200 back, but has not made a national senior team yet. We will see at the end of the session if Greenbank gets picked up for Budapest.
Britain’s backstrokers have not been sharp at this meet as Chris Walker-Hebborn had a disappointing swim in the 100 back earlier. He will still get selected most likely for the medley relay, but the backstroke is now a liability for the Brits. Greenbank may still get selected for Budapest if the selectors believe he has a lot left. Greenbank was a 1:56.89 at the European Games two years ago when he was a junior swimmer.
Greenbank held off a strong swim from Joseph Hulme (1:58.63) who finished second. Xavier Mohammed (1:59.94), Daniel Cross (2:00.24), Craig McNally (2:00.47), Callum Barrett (2:00.93), Perry Gardner (2:01.39) and Jay Lelliott (2:05.08) also swam in the championship final.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
In one of the most stacked races of the meet, Sarah Vasey won her first British title with a 1:06.78 ahead of Siobhan O’Connor (1:06.80). Both of those swims are inside the consideration time for Budapest. The winner had to be under a 1:07.93 if the 4×100 medley relay was going to get selected for Budapest so it is likely Britain will take Georgia Davies, Vasey, Alys Thomas and Freya Anderson for the medley relay.
The 50, 100 and 200 breast British record holders were all in the field as Imogen Clark (50), O’Connor (100) and Jocelyn Ulyett (200) all were vying for the win on Sunday night. It was ultimately Vasey winning the race, just off O’Connor’s British record at 1:06.34. Vasey and O’Connor are now fifth and sixth in the world behind Russia’s Yulia Efimova (1:05.90), USA’s Katie Meili (1:06.37), Molly Hannis (1:06.47) and Japan’s Satomi Suzuki (1:06.65).
Ulyett (1:07.24), Chloe Tutton (1:07.76), Clark (1:07.84), Molly Renshaw (1:08.20), Corrie Scott (1:09.10) and Georgina Evans (1:09.17) also swam in the championship final.
Men’s 200 Freestyle
James Guy and Duncan Scott went back and forth on Sunday night in an epic 200 free final as it was Guy who outlasted Scott with a 1:45.55 to Scott’s 1:45.80. Guy was outside the automatic qualifying time, but he ranks second in the world behind China’s Sun Yang (1:44.91). Scott is third in the world with that swim. Guy is the defending world champion in the 200 free and was fourth last summer at the Olympics.
Guy and Scott also lead a strong 4×200 free relay that will enter Budapest as the defending World Champions and the Olympic silver medalists. Guy, Scott, Calum Jarvis (1:47.02) and Nicholas Grainger (1:47.28) are a serious threat to the Americans that will swim without Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. They still have a couple guys capable of 1:45’s from a flat start but it will not be a walk in the park for the Americans as the Brits have a couple of young stars in Guy and Scott that are incredible racers.
Scott has had an incredible week after he posted a 47.90 in the 100 earlier in the week. Scott did not swim the 200 free in Rio last summer but did split a 1:45.05 in the 4×200 free relay that was the third fastest in the whole race. Only Guy (1:44.85) and Townley Haas (1:44.14) were faster there. Scott had been a promising junior swimmer and has continued that momentum into 2017. He will turn 20 on May 6 and still has a lot of years left on the world stage.
Max Litchfield (1:47.48), Stephen Milne (1:47.63), Cameron Kurle (1:48.91) and Mark Szaranek (1:49.35) also competed in the A-final.
2nd & 3rd fastest 200fr this year and they didn’t make the qualifying time!!! What do the Brits expect from these guys?
Yay :/