2016 British Olympic Trials Day 5 Finals Live Recap: Carlin Makes It Happen

2016 BRITISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS/OLYMPIC TRIALS

• Tuesday, April 12th – Sunday, April 17th
• Tollcross International Swimming Center, Glasgow, Scotland
• Prelims at 10am local/6am EDT; Finals at 6:30pm local/1:30pm EDT
• British Swimming 2016 Olympic Games Selection Policy
• Live Streaming
• DRAFT Psych Sheet
• Start Lists/Results

*Note on Finals Session: The schedule of events will feature three finals – a senior final targeted at the Rio Olympics and European Championships in London, a Target Tokyo Final for potential additions to the European Championship in London and a Junior Final for those looking to qualify for the European Junior Championships in Hungary. For the purposes of this article’s context, we will be reporting on the ‘senior final’ of each event.

If the first place swimmer does not meet or exceed that qualifying time, then the athlete may be considered for selection as long as he/she falls within 2% of the 2nd time listed by each event. Runners-up also must be within 2% of the 2nd qualification time in order to be considered for selection. You can read more about the policy here.

MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• British Record – 14:45.95, David Davies (2004)
• 1st Place OLY Standard – 14:55.11
• 2% Consideration – 14:59.64
• The Podium –
  • Timothy Shuttleworth, 14:55.23
  • Stephen Milne, 14:59.10
  • Daniel Fogg, 15:01.60

Even before the start of the race the field was shaken up a bit by 5th-seed Jay Lelliott scratching out of the event. Citing illness, his social media apologized to friends and family for having to pull out of the event.

But, the race came down to a 1 & 3 Loughborough University finish, headed up by Timothy Shuttleworth. Shuttleworth improved upon his 15:17.28 prelim time with an impressive sub-15-minute outing, stopping the clock tonight in 14:55.23 for the win. That time is painstakingly outside of the British automatic-Olympic qualifying standard of 14:55.11, but is well within the 2% consideration cut-off and should be enough to be selected to the Rio roster. His outing also puts the Brit just outside of the world’s top 5 in the rankings this season.

Of his race, Shuttleworth commented, “It’s unbelievable! I just can’t believe it.” Unbelievable is about accurate, as tonight marks the first time Shuttleworth has clocked a time in the 14-minute zone, as his best headed into the meet was the 15:15.74 he scored just last month.

The only other sub-15-minute time came from Perth City’s Stephen Milne, who already earned a 2016 silver medal in the men’s 400m freestyle behind James Guy. Milne won this 1500m event last year, but settled for runner-up status with a time of 14:59.10 this year, a time that will be on the bubble for an invite.

As for Milne, he said post-race, “I did my best, it was a great race but now I need to focus fully on the 200m [freestyle] tomorrow.”

Daniel Fogg was the other Loughborough swimmer to step onto the podium, improving from 4th after prelims to 3rd place tonight, registering a time of 15:01.60.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• British Record – Joanne Jackson, 4:00.60, 2009
• 1st Place OLY Standard – 4:04.66
• 2% Consideration – 4:07.41
• The Podium –
  • Jazmin Carlin, 4:04.33 (*Automatic*)
  • Eleanor Faulkner, 4:09.87
  • Alice Dearing, 4:11.35

The 3rd time proved to be the charm for Bath University’s Jazmin Carlin who finally clocked her Rio-qualifying mark in the women’s 400m free after missing out on the 200m free and 800m free standards earlier in the meet. Heartbreak was in Carlin’s memory as she was stricken with mono back in 2012, which impacted her not making that team, but she persevered and got it done tonight in a time of 4:04.33, .33 of a second inside of the British automatic-qualifying standard.

Carlin, who now ranks as the 5th-fastest swimmer in the world in this event his season, couldn’t hold back the tears as she touched the wall and realized she had conquered the race and punched her ticket to Rio.

Runner-up was Sheffield’s Eleanor Faulkner, who improved on her 4:13.90 prelim time to register a 4:09.87. Alice Dearing from Loughborough clinched bronze in 4:11.35.

MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• British Record – James Goddard, 1:57.12, 2009
• 1st Place OLY Standard – 1:56.82
• 2% Consideration – 1:58.39
• The Podium –
  • Roberto Pavoni, 1:59.20
  • Ieuan Lloyd, 1:59.58
  • Duncan Scott, 1:59.88

The top 5 men all touched the wall in a time of 1:59-X, speaking to how close the battle was from start to finish. Several men were in the mix during the sprint IM, but, ultimately, it was Loughborough University’s Roberto Pavoni who came out on top, earning a time of 1:59.20. That mark is just a hair faster than Pavoni raced in Kazan, where he earned 8th place in the event at the 2015 FINA World Championships.

However, with the British Olympic standard sitting at 1:56.82, as well as the 2% consideration set at 1:58.39, Pavoni was short of qualifying for the Rio Olympic Games. He was visibly disappointed during the post-race interview, where he commented that although earning the title of British Champion is nice, his main purpose is to qualify for the Olympic Games.

Silver tonight went to Ieuan Lloyd in 1:59.58, with University of Stirling stand-out Duncan Scott snatching up the bronze in 1:59.88, his first time ever under the 2-minute mark.

For Dan Wallace, he missed his last likely chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in an individual event, although he does have the 200m freestyle tomorrow. . After not even making the 400m freestyle final and then finishing out of the top 2/qualifying time in the 400 IM, Wallace found himself in 6th place tonight in 2:00.36.

WOMEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• British Record – 2:08.21, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, 2014
• 1st Place OLY Standard – 2:10.19
• 2% Consideration – 2:10.89
• The Podium –
  • Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, 2:09.66 (*Automatic*)
  • Hannah Miley, 2:12.02
  • Aimee Willmott, 2:12.57

We saw another female make a stiff British automatic-qualifying time, this time in the form of Siobhan-Marie O’Connor. O’Connor led the field wire-to-wire, attacking each leg of the race and finishing with a time of 2:09.66 to comfortably place beneath the standard of 2:10.19. She was 2:08.45 in Kazan, so O’Connor was off a little from that performance, but did enough to get the spot on the Olympic roster in the event.

Entering the meet, O’Connor already held a solid time of 2:10.32 from the Edinburgh meet last month, but her result tonight registers her now as the 2nd-fastest in the world this season. Only Hungary’s Iron Lady, Katinka Hosszu, has been faster (2:07.69).

Runner-up was Garioch’s Hannah Miley, who already claimed the 400m IM gold medal and Rio spot, touching in this sprint IM event in a final time of 2:12.02. The runner-up in the 400m IM, Aimee Willmott, clocked a 2:12.57 for 3rd. Both women were outside of the 2:10.89 consideration mark.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• British Record – Ben Proud, 21.65, 2016
• 1st Place OLY Standard – 21.84
• 2% Consideration – 21.94
• The Podium –
  • Ben Proud, 21.73 (*Automatic*)
  • Thomas Fannon, 22.24
  • Andrew Weatheritt, 22.38

After cranking out a new British Record in the prelims, touching in 21.65 to maintain his world ranking as 5th-fastest in the world this season. The 21-year-old Plymouth Leander swimmer finished just behind that mark tonight, touching in 21.73 to still register his ride to Rio. Ironically, 21.73 is where the British National Record had stood from Proud’s BUCS’ swim from earlier this year, so had he not already broken it this morning, he would have tied the then-national record in this splash n’ dash event.

Another Plymouth Leander swimmer made it to the podium in the form of Thomas Fannon and his time of 22.24. That wiped .3 of a second off of his morning outing of 22.54 to move up a spot in the results. Loughborough’s Andrew Weatheritt claimed the bronze in 22.38, a .08 of a second improvement on his morning swim.