Katie Shanahan Returns After Glandular Fever To Post 4:38 400IM In Edinburgh
Katie Shanahan returned to competition following glandular fever to post 4:38.76 in the 400IM at the Scottish National Open Swimming Championships.
The University of Stirling swimmer dominated the race to win by almost 20 seconds ahead of the University of Edinburgh’s Ailsa McDonald who added long medley silver to her 200IM gold in 4:58.47 while 15-year-old Alice Forrest (Derwentside) took bronze (5:03.44).
Shanahan, who won bronze representing Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, will compete in the 4IM in Paris and took positives from her fastest time of the season bar the Olympic trials in April after which her training was derailed by glandular fever in May.
Katie Shanahan & Abbie Wood: Photo Courtesy: Morgan Harlow, British Swimming
The Scot, who is coached by Steven Tigg, said:
“That’s the fastest I’ve been all season outside of trials. I found out I had glandular fever at the end of May which put a bit of a hold on everything I was doing so I’m just glad to be back in the water and I feel so much better after that.
“I was a bit worried coming in to be honest because the 400m IM is not the event you want to be doing with glandular fever. I just want to keep safe and make sure I’m not picking anything else up, there’s only four weeks until the big dance.”
Looking ahead to her debut Olympics in Paris next month, she added:
“It’s been amazing so far. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I’m just so grateful and lucky that I’m able to experience it.
“The kitting out day was amazing and it makes me so excited to be in the Village and just experience that whole Olympic bubble. I’m just so excited to be honest!”
Jack McMillan touched out Duncan Scott by 0.16 to win the 200 free in 1:47.54 to 1:47.70.
That followed Scott’s outing in the 100 back where he finished third as Scott Gibson came from second at halfway to take the title in 55.79 ahead of Zach Speakman and Scott.
Kathleen Dawson won the women’s 100 back in 1:00.65 ahead of Stirling teammates Holly McGill (1:01.66) and Caitlin Ebbage (1:03.23)
Lucy Hope added a second freestyle gold medal in as many days, with a commanding victory in the 200m freestyle, to add to Friday’s 100m triumph.
Hope, who will join Shanahan in Paris, took gold in the only sub-2 minute swim of the field in 1:59.66 ahead of Warrender youngster Phoebe Arbuckle, who took silver (2:05.34), and Mairi Craig of Edinburgh University in third (2:05.47).
Lucy Grieve (University of Stirling) equalled teammate Keanna MacInnes’ 50m butterfly Scottish record in 26.69 en-route to victory while Kara Hanlon (University of Edinburgh) made it two medals in two days with gold in the 200m breaststroke in 2:27.50.