2019 World Junior C’ships: Drop It Like It’s Michaella Glenister’s 400 IM

7TH FINA WORLD JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019

  • Duna Arena, Budapest (Hungary)
  • Pool swimming: Tuesday, August 20 – Sunday, August 25, 2019
  • Heats 9:30am GMT+2 (3:30 am EDT / 12:30 am PDT)/ Semifinals and Finals 5:30pm GMT+2 (11:30am EDT / 8:30am PDT)
  • 50-meter (LCM) course
  • Meet site
  • Entries book
  • FinaTV Live Stream (subscription required)
  • Live results

There’s dropping time, and then there’s the Michaella Glenister way of dropping time. The 17-year-old British rising star raced her way to bronze in the women’s 400m IM tonight in Budapest at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, and the Leicester Shark did it in style with a huge new personal best of 4:39.35.

Glenister’s performance is notably impressive considering her lifetime quickest entering this meet rested at the 4:47.69 she produced at the British Summer Championships just late last month. That outing rendered her as the gold medalist for 17-year-olds and helped the swimmer rebound from her non-advancing swim at the European Junior Championships. There in Kazan, Glenister clocked a morning outing of 4:51.04 to find herself 9th, behind her 2 British teammates and out of the final.

Prior to the aforementioned domestic meet, Glenister’s only other sub-4:50 performance came at the British Championships (World Trials) in April, where she took 7th in the senior women’s 400m IM final in a then-personal best of 4:49.13.

Flash forward today in Budapest, however, and Glenister re-wrote the book on how to make the most of an elite international appearance. She wasted no time making her medal-seeking intentions known, throwing down a monster morning effort of 4:43.27, slashing over 4 seconds off of that 4:47.69. That gave her the 2nd seed, just a tenth behind Spain’s Alba Vazquez.

Swimming fearlessly from the get-to in tonight’s final, Glenister busted out another remarkable swim, clocking a mark of 4:39.35 to take the bronze and dip under 4:40 for the very first time. All told, the Leicester Shark dropped over 8 seconds from her previous PB entering this meet.

At just 17 years of age, Glenister now ranks as the 6th fastest British swimmer, all ages, of all time.

Top 6 British Women’s 40om IM Performers All-Time

Rank Name Meet Name Date Time
1 Hannah Miley British Gas Champs (50m) 20/03/09 4:31.33
2 Aimee Willmott Commonwealth Games 2014 24/07/14 4:33.01
3 Abbie Wood British Swimming Championships 2017 18/04/17 4:37.25
4 Keri-Anne Payne British Champs (50m) 2008 06/04/08 4:38.30
5 Rosie Rudin British Swimming Championships 2017 18/04/17 4:38.74
6 Michaella Glenister World Junior Championships 2019 20/08/19 4:39.35

 

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Inside Info
4 years ago

Doesn’t surprise me that she’s had no funding, Sadly you’re on your own in UK. Just imagine the support she would or could have in USA!

Ginge
Reply to  Inside Info
4 years ago

Sadly true and no 02 girls on finding last year but she also not on the swim England talent programme that runs out of Loughborough where I believe she actually comes from who take certain kids from East Midlands clubs for long course training and input. Easy to see it’s all over Twitter every time.

John Jones
Reply to  Inside Info
4 years ago

If she was in the USA she would have no support other than that provided by her club.
If she is doing this well, why on earth would she be better off in one of the so called centres or long course programmes, many of whom have done nothing but destroy such similarly talented athletes. Rudin was WJR holder, now retired after going backwards in LC programme. Abbie Wood was amazing junior who has now plateaued in national centre, can’t hear a starter’s gun and enjoys herself too much on nights out in Napoli.
Basically stay where you are Glenister and don’t believe the hype when the NGB come knocking, you are nothing but a pawn in their… Read more »

Ginge
Reply to  John Jones
4 years ago

Very true but she must only have another year of school and will have to consider her options. Never hear anything about her but she gets a medal and they suddenly remember her 😂

Well
4 years ago

That headline is trying way too hard

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Well
4 years ago

u too it seems

Ginge
4 years ago

Considering she’s not in any kind of performance programme and just at a club think the girls just done amazing.

Cheryl Chapman
Reply to  Ginge
4 years ago

Here,here
Where’s the support from UK.

Ginge
Reply to  Cheryl Chapman
4 years ago

Exactly no performance programme no funding no long course training at Loughborough like other clubs invited to and all this can be seen when you see what clubs are invited to train there with swim England talent programme.

tkrisz
4 years ago

Szabó-Feltóthy dropped even more, more than 10 seconds.

Jeff
4 years ago

I don’t want to get too optimistic but I think we may see her at the olympics next year. I wouldn’t put it past her to improve enough to take a spot in the 400 IM and considering GB’s poor depth in distance free she’ll probably also qualify in the 800 and 1500 free.

Dee
Reply to  Jeff
4 years ago

She’d need to drop an absolutely tonne to even be considered in the 800/1500. Not sure I see that happening. 400IM looks set to be a real scrap at trials with Willmott, Miley, Wood, Glenister, Shanahan and Colbert. A real event to watch in the coming years.

Stirlo
Reply to  Dee
4 years ago

Has Rosie Rudin retired?

Admin
Reply to  Stirlo
4 years ago

About Retta Race

Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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