2019 British Swimming Championships: Day 2 Prelims Recap

2019 BRITISH SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, April 16th – Sunday, April 21st
• Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Glasgow, Scotland
• Prelims at 10am local (5am Eastern)/Finals at 6:30pm local (1:30pm Eastern)
• DRAFT – Start List
• British 2019 World Championships Selection Policy
• British 2019 World and European Junior Championships Selection Policy
• British 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival Selection Policy
• SwimSwam Selection Analysis
• Final Start Lists
• Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
• Live Stream
• Live Results

This is a live document; please refresh for updates.

Men’s 50m Breast – Prelims

• British National Record – 25.95, Adam Peaty, 2017

Open Top 8:

Tying his 26.51 time from the 2015 World Championships, 24-year-old Adam Peaty took the top seed of the men’s 50m breast this morning with ease. The Olympic champion led a 1-2 Loughborough punch, with his 100m breast partner in crime from last night, James Wilby, taking the 2nd seed this morning in 27.10.

For Peaty, he already opened his 100m breast prelim yesterday in 26.90, then followed that up with an opening 50m of 26.63 during last night’s blistering 57.87 winning effort, so we knew his 50m would be on-fire. Plus, Peaty says he’s been working on his start with the help of sports scientists, so he’s getting of the blocks more quickly and efficiently, which was his only relative weakness in the past.

But Wilby’s time this morning is not to be ignored in its own right, as his 27.10 morning swim now checks-in as a personal best, making him the 2nd fastest British swimmer of all-time in the event. His time overtook Ross Murdoch‘s mark of 27.25 from the 2016 European Championships for that distinction.

Murdoch and University of Stirling teammate Craig Benson are in the medal mix, sitting as the 3rd and 4th seeds now in morning swims of 27.43 and 27.69.

Women’s 50m Fly – Prelims

• British National Record – 25.20, Fran Halsall, 2014

Multiple NCAA finalist Anna Hopkin of the University of Arkansas is representing her British club Ealing at these British Championships and is carrying her stateside success back home.

The 23-year-old nabbed the top seeded time of 26.69 in the women’s 50m fly heats to hold a .10 advantage over Cardiff’s Harriet Jones. Jones hit the wall in 26.79, while Loughborough’s Charlotte Atkinson from the Isle of Man was also under 27 in a morning effort of 26.98.

Hopkin’s swim this morning already destroys her previous personal best of 27.22 from the 2018 Sette Colli Trophy. That mark tied the late Tazmin Pugh to give them the rank of 30th fastest Brit on the all-time list.

Flash forward to this morning, however, and Hopkin’s 26.69 now rockets her into the 10th slot on the British all-time performers list. But, don’t sleep on Jones as the 2nd seed tonight. The 22-year-old holds a PB in this event of 26.63 and is the reigning British Champion.

Men’s 200m Fly – Prelims

• Selection Time #1 – 1:54.63, Selection Time #2 – 1:55.42
• British National Record – 1:54.58, Michael Rock, 2009

Open Top 8:

Staking his claim on this men’s 200m fly event early is 19-year-old Jacob Peters of Poole. The 19-year-old raced his way to one of just 3 sub-2:00 times on the morning, leading the pack in a solid 1:58.88.

Peters competed in this event at the 2018 European Championships where he logged 2:00.40 to finish 24th. He did wind up medaling at those championships in the form of the men’s 4x100m medley relay as a heats swimmer, so the man has experience performing under pressure. But his PB of 1:57.16 will need to be obliterated in order for Peters to qualify for Worlds.

The most decorated Scottish swimmer ever at a Commonwealth Games, Duncan Scott, performed well this morning and did what he took to claim the 2nd seed in 1:59.57. Scott holds a personal best time of 1:56.60 from the 2018 Commonwealth Games where the versatile Stirling stud took bronze.

But eyes will be on the reigning national champion in this event, James Guy, as the 24-year-old Bath swimmer tries to earn his World Championships bid with a possible title defense this evening. Guy won last year in a modest 1:58.05 and wound up scratching this event at teh 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Since then, however, Guy put up a 1:57.81 at the Edinburgh Intentional earlier this year. It will take better than his PB of 1:55.91 from 2017 to make Gwangju.

Women’s 100m Back – Prelims

• Selection Time #1 – 59.12, Selection Time #2 – 59.47
• British National Record – 58.12, Gemma Spofforth, 2009

Open Top 8:

The women’s 100m backstroke was without a sub-minute swimmer this morning, which makes spectators a tad nervous if they’ll see a World Championships qualifier or not.

Bath’s Jessica Fullalove produced the top seed in 1:00.48, while Loughborough’s Georgia Davies was less than half a second behind in 1:00.75. Beyond that, however, and swimmers will need to drop at last 2-3 seconds tonight to come close to even the 2nd selection time of 59.47.

But, that’s the sign of the times in British women’s backstroke right now. Stirling’s Kathleen Dawson holds a PB of 59.58, but hasn’t been consistently back at that 2016 time.

Davies, too, holds a PB of 59.34 from 2017, but produced a 1:00.17 for 5th at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She did throw down a silver medal winning 59.36 at the 2018 European Championships, so that’s a positive sign that the veteran could potentially produce something more along those lines tonight.

Anything can happen in tonight’s final and we’ve seen some big time drops from some of the younger swimmers on day 1.

Men’s 100m Back – Prelims

• Selection Time #1 – 52.66, Selection Time #2 – 53.32
• British National Record – 52.73, Liam Tancock, 2009

Open Top 8:

Loughborough’s Luke Greenbank led the way for the men’s 100m backstroke this morning, clocking a heats swim of 54.15 in the final heat. The 22-year-old looked pleased with his AM effort, as he should be with a lifetime best, and holds an .8 lead over Millfield’s Brodie Williams‘ time of 54.95.

Both men were the only sub-55 second swimmers in the heats, with Loughborough’s Joe Litchfield lurking as the 3rd seed in 55.15 and Stirling boys Craig McNally and Martyn Walton also making the final in respective 4th and 5th seeded times of 55.19 and 55.42.

Going back to Greenbank, the now 22-year-old has been racing on the elite international scene for some time now, collecting double 100 and 200m backstroke gold at the 2015 European Games and 200m back bronze at the Youth Olympic Games the year before that.

In this 100m back event, Greenbank held a PB of 54.37 from the 2018 Commonwealth Games and he followed that up with 54.65 in Glasgow in the European Championships final. He’ll need to have the swim of his life, as will all the men in this final, to make it to Gwangju.

He’s on the right start with a new lifetime best this morning. His 54.15 now makes Greenbank the 5th fastest British performer in history.

Women’s 200m Breast – Prelims

• Selection Time #1 – 2:22.22, Selection Time #2 – 2:23.95
• British National Record – 2:22.08, Jocelyn Ulyett, 2017

Open Top 8:

The usual suspects compose tonight’s final for the women’s open 200m breaststroke, led by one-time British National Record holder Molly Renshaw.

23-year-old Renshaw registered a morning swim of 2:26.29 to land lane 4 by over a second ahead of teammate Abbie Wood. Wood already has one medal here with her silver medal-winning performance in last night’s women’s 400m IM.

Also in that women’s 400m IM was Scottish legend Hannah Miley. Just months after ankle surgery, the 3-time Olympian Miley took bronze in that 4IM and enters tonight’s 2breast final as the 8th seeded swimmer in 2:31.24.

Renshaw has been on a tear in this event as of late, snagging Commonwealth Games silver in 2:23.28 and European Championships bronze in 2:23.43. She’ll need to be in that range to make it onto the World Championships roster.

Katie Matts of Stockport Metro holds a personal best time of 2:25.06 and clocked the 3rd fastest time of the morning in 2:27.90, while reigning British National Record holder Jocelyn Ulyett is right there in the mix in 2:28.33 for the 4th seed.

Women’s 800m Free – Prelims

• Selection Time #1 – 8:20.53, Selection Time #2 – 8:24.38
• British National Record – 8:14.10, Rebecca Adlington, 2008

The women’s 800m free will be recapped with day 2 finals recap.