2021 British Olympic Selection Trials Day 5 Finals Live Recap

2021 BRITISH SWIMMING SELECTION TRIALS

MEN’S 1500 FREE – FINAL

British National Record – 14:45.95, David Davies 2004
British OLY QT – 14:55.91
FINA ‘A’ – 15:00.91

GOLD –14:51.49 Daniel Jervis, Olympic Qualifying
SILVER –15:01.35, Tobias Robinson
BRONZE – 15:07.71, Luke Turley

Taking the men’s 1500m freestyle in a race essentially by himself was Swansea swimmer Daniel Jervis. The 24-year-old 800m free champion here fired off a winning time of 14:51.49 to take this grueling event’s title in a time worthy of consideration for this summer’s Olympic Games.

His result of 14:51.49 marked the only outing under the 15:00 threshold this evening, with Tobias Robinson and Luke Turley placing 2nd and 3rd in respective efforts of 15:01.35 and 15:07.71.

For Jervis, this qualification is a little redemption from just missing out by less than a second in the 800m free. He is the 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medalist in this longer distance, having clocked a time of 14:48.67 on the Gold Coast. He followed that up with a 13th place result at the 2019 FINA World Championships in 15:01.50.

Post-race, Jervis was ecstatic about having clinched a consideration time. “This is an absolute dream.”

For his efforts, Jervis now ranks as the 4th fastest 1500m freestyle performer this season.

2020-2021 LCM Men 1500 Free

FlorianGER
Wellbrock
04/18
14:36.45
2Bobby
Finke
USA14:39.6508/01
3Mykhailo
Romanchuk
UKR14:39.8905/19
4Gregorio
Paltrinieri
ITA14:40.3804/03
5Lukas
Märtens
GER14:49.2604/11
View Top 26»

WOMEN’S 1500 FREE – FINAL

British National Record – 15:47.26, Jazmin Carlin 2013
British OLY QT – 16:04.14
FINA ‘A’ – 16:32.04

GOLD – Leah Crisp, 16:46.09
SILVER – Lucy Charles-Barclay, 16:46.26
BRONZE – Emily Clarke, 16:59.68

Bath swimmer Leah Crisp doubled up on her 800m free victory here with another gold in this 1500m event. Stopping the clock in 16:38.76, Crisp held off Lucy Charles-Barclay who nearly clipped the Crisp at the end, touching in 16:46.26 for silver.

Rounding out the top 3 was Emily Clarke, adding this bronze medal in 16:59.68 to her runner-up result in teh 400m free.

No swimmer notched a time under the British Swimming Consideration Standard of 16:04.14.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST – FINAL

British National Record – 1:06.34, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor 2016
British OLY QT – 1:06.79
FINA ‘A’ – 1:07.07

GOLD – Sarah Vasey, 1:06.37 Olympic Qualifying
SILVER – Molly Renshaw, 1:06.72 Olympic Qualifying
BRONZE – Kara Hanlon, 1:08.00

24-year-old Sarah Vasey attacked this women’s 100m breaststroke race, nearly overtaking the British national record in her victory. Opening in 31.11 and closing in 35.26, Vasey ultimately got to the wall in a mark of 1:06.37, a new lifetime best by over half a second. Entering this meet, Vasey’s career-quickest was represented by the 1:06.78 she produced in 2017.

Also qualifying was Molly Renshaw, the woman who already nailed a new British record of her own en route to topping the 200m breaststroke podium. Tonight, Renshaw logged 1:06.72 to add this event to her potential Olympic lineup, nearly on her lifetime best of 1:06.78 from 2017.

Rounding out the top 3 was Kara Hanlon who touched in 1:08.00.

Vasey now enters the season’s world rankings in slot #7 en route to becoming Great Britain’s 3rd fastest performer all-time.

2020-2021 LCM Women 100 Breast

LillyUSA
King
06/14
1:04.72
2Tatjana
Schoenmaker
RSA1:04.8207/25
3Lydia
Jacoby
USA1:04.9507/27
4Annie
Lazor
USA1:05.3706/14
5Sophie
Hansson
SWE1:05.6607/25
View Top 26»

MEN’S 200 BACK – FINAL

British National Record – 1:55.34, Luke Greenbank 2021
British OLY QT – 1:56.60
FINA ‘A’ – 1:57.50

GOLD – Luke Greenbank, 1:56.70 (pre-qualified)
SILVER – Elliot Clogg, 1:57.77
BRONZE – Brodie Wiliams, 1:58.76

The men’s 100m backstroke winner here, World Championships medalist Luke Greenbank, got it done for gold in this 200m back event. He clinched the top prize in 1:56.70, a mark which beat out Elliot Clogg by over a second. Although Greenbank’s time was over the British consideration standard, he was pre-qualified by way of his bronze medal in this 200m back event in Gwangju.

Greenbank had suffered a sprained ankle recently, which had impacted his training, as well as his racing tonight. As for Clogg, the Loughborough teammate produced a time of 1:57.77 to slice nearly .20 off of his 2019 lifetime best of 1:57.96.

Greenbank already sits as the #4 swimmer in the world as he already nailed a 1:55.34 British record from this past March in Manchester.

2020-2021 LCM Men 200 Back

EvgenyRUS
Rylov
04/08
1:53.23
2Ryan
Murphy
USA1:54.1507/30
3Mitch
Larkin
AUS1:54.3804/16
4Luke
Greenbank
GBR1:54.4305/22
5Bryce
Mefford
USA1:54.7906/18
View Top 27»

WOMEN’S 50 FREE – FINAL

British National Record – 23.96, Francesca Halsall 2014
British OLY QT – 24.60
FINA ‘A’ – 24.77

GOLD – Anna Hopkin, 24.79
SILVER – Isabella Hindley & Lucy Hope 25.13
BRONZE – 

Former Arkansas athlete Anna Hopkin clocked a mark of 24.79 to reap the women’s 50m free title here. She represented the only racer to get under the 25-second mark, with a tie for the next spot notched by Isabella Hindley and Lucy Hope. Hindley & Hope matched marks in 25.13.

Hopkin had already placed 2nd in the 100m freestyle here behind winner Freya Anderson. She ranks as GBR’s #2 performer all-time in this women’s 50m free event, with a lifetime best of 24.34 from the 2019 FINA World Championships. She ultimately placed 7th there in Gwangju in 24.40.

MEN’S 200 FREE – FINAL

British National Record – 1:44.91, Duncan Scott 2019
British OLY QT – 1:46.99
FINA ‘A’ – 1:47.02

GOLD – Duncan Scott, 1:44.47 *British Record, Olympic Qualifying (pre-qualified as well)
SILVER – Tom Dean, 1:44.58 Olympic Qualifying
BRONZE – Matt Richards, 1:45.77*

This men’s 200m free just brought the virtual house down as Duncan Scott scorched a new British national record en route to victory. Firing off an opening split of 50.25 and closing in 54.22, Scott roared his way to the wall in a monster time of 1:44.47. That overtook his own previous national record, a time of 1:44.91 he registered for bronze at the 2019 FINA World Championships. That medal-worthy performance rendered Scott pre-qualified for this event.

Joining him on the Olympic roster in this stacked race was Tom Dean, with the Bath man crushing a massive lifetime best of 1:44.58. Dean kept up with Scott, leading off in 50.57 before ending in 54.01 to give Scott a run for his money down the line. Dean’s previous personal best in this event sat at the 1:46.03 he produced at the 2020 Edinburgh International, so the man entirely skipped the 1:45’s and went straight into the 1:44 zone, overtaking the previous British Record along with Scott in the process.

Rounding out the top 3 and not to be discounted was Matt Richards, with the 18-year-old ripping a time of 1:45.77 to beat out 2015 World Championships gold medalist James Guy to place 3rd. Richards’ previous PB sat at 1:47.23 entering this meet, a mark he logged for silver at the European Junior Championships. Richards already most likely qualified for Tokyo as 2nd place finisher in the 100m free behind Scott.

For Guy’s part, he placed 4th in this 200m, stopping the clock in 1:46.04.

Scott and Dean now rank as the #1 and #2 swimmers in the world this season and, with Japan’s Katsuo Matsumoto, represent the only sub-1:45 second swimmers.

2020-2021 LCM Men 200 Free

TomGBR
Dean
07/27
1:44.22
2Duncan
Scott
GBR1:44.2607/27
3Hwang
Sunwoo
KOR1:44.6207/25
4Katsuo
Matsumoto
JPN1:44.6504/05
5Fernando
Scheffer
BRA1:44.6607/27
View Top 26»

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AnEn
3 years ago

If you get angry about facts, maybe change your approach to life.

Jack
Reply to  AnEn
3 years ago

Whats the article author done?

Dee
3 years ago

Bath could send out a 4×2 with a combined flat start time of 7.02.8. How many countries have faster NRs than that? A handful?

Swimmer
Reply to  Dee
3 years ago

Must be fun at practice

Last edited 3 years ago by Swimmer
Daaaave
Reply to  Dee
3 years ago

Bath is the Austin of England. Keep it weird.

5wimmer
Reply to  Daaaave
3 years ago

Jane Austen specifically

AnEn
Reply to  Dee
3 years ago

And when you exclude them, the british relay might be slower than the hungarian or swiss relay. My point is: When you direct (almost) all your best talents to one team, it isn’t that surprising that they have most of the top times in your country. It always is the question how much of it is down to the work of the coaches at that team (who without a doubt have done a great job) and how much of it is down to them getting the best talents.

MarkB
Reply to  AnEn
3 years ago

I must agree with AnEn (which I rarely do). Shuttling all your best swimmers to National Centers does seem to accumulate the top times. Add in a pandemic decision to only allow said NC’s to train, well …

Thomas Selig
3 years ago

Well, that was a fun way to finish 🙂

“Deano just skipped the 1:45’s” – Duncan Scott.

Also loved the reactions of Renshaw and Wood to Vasey’s swim. Teammates at L’Boro obviously, and they looked really happy for her. Great to see that camaraderie.

Still buzzing from that 200 free, just wow!

Jeff
3 years ago

This relay is going to be so exciting and I really think Great Britain could win it. I don’t know if this is too bold but I really think that Dean and Scott could both do 1:43 splits and I dare say as long as Richards and Guy keep in touch with the field on their legs that that would be enough!

Jaque Fourie
Reply to  Jeff
3 years ago

If they swim those kinds of times they’ll be in world record territory. European record of 6:59 is under threat. You think these records will go?

boknows34
3 years ago

Thorpe’s Commonwealth Record of 1.44.06 has stood since Fukuoka WC 2001 and is now within striking distance by two Brits.

Gen D
3 years ago

I think Duncan Scott set his previous best time leading off the relay @ World Champs, not in the individual event.

Last edited 3 years ago by Gen D
Daaaave
3 years ago

So how many athletes has Mel Marshall coached to this Olympic team (pending “official” selection *rolls eyes*)? How many other coaches – globally – have put this many men AND women on a single team?

I know she does not coach all the Loughborough swimmers, but she covers a lot of them.

Eddie has had big squads but all men (Hershey swam with him for a bit but I cannot remember the timing vs. her Oly appearance)

Bob / Marsh / (Troy? Dave D.?) have had single-digit squads of men and women. Would you have to go back to the 80s (Quick/R. Reese/Mission V.) or earlier to find others?

Honest question so don’t crush me with downvotes if I’ve… Read more »

Wow
Reply to  Daaaave
3 years ago

Mel only coached like 3. Dave Hemmi ngs MANY more

Last edited 3 years ago by Wow
Daaaave
Reply to  Wow
3 years ago

Wow (Owen Wilson voice). Thank you, Wow (regular voice)

TheSwimSuitGuy
Reply to  Daaaave
3 years ago

Some Loughborough NC swimmers are with Dave Hemmings.

Mel’s Swimmers
Adam, Anna, Luke, Sarah (I think)

Dave’s Swimmers
Molly, Joe, Max, Abbie, Wilby

So actually more are training with Dave than Mel!

Daaaave
Reply to  TheSwimSuitGuy
3 years ago

Thanks for that–really helpful

AnEn
Reply to  TheSwimSuitGuy
3 years ago

Impressive work without a doubt, but without knowing much about the american system, i am pretty sure that some college coaches will qualify more than 5 swimmers for the american (or any other) olympic team.

Jeff
Reply to  Daaaave
3 years ago

She is a good swim coach but you can’t deny that Dave Hemmings, Dave McNulty, Stephen Tigg and Joel Finck’s groups have done well as their squads have all got multiple swimmers with consideration times at this trials.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Jeff
3 years ago

True. She’s got that one pretty good breastroker.

Jeff
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

Yeah. I may have undermined how good Mel is as a coach with the above message. If anything, I think she’s probably at the best point in her coaching career so far as now it’s not just Peaty who’s up there. She’s now got Greenbank, Vasey and Hopkin who are world class athletes capable of making finals and outside chances of medals.

TheSwimSuitGuy
Reply to  Jeff
3 years ago

Everyone seemingly forgets Brad Hay, who works with Tigg and who takes lead with Kat and Cassie among others at Stirling.

SwimSider
Reply to  TheSwimSuitGuy
3 years ago

Hay does a lot of work with everyone at Stirling including Scott! They don’t have groups as such, Tigg leads that program with no airs or graces

AnEn
Reply to  Daaaave
3 years ago

What a weird comment …
Good luck “proving” that someone is OBJECTIVELY the best (swim) coach …

Daaaave
Reply to  AnEn
3 years ago

Well I specifically said “support or refute” (which is the empirically correct way to frame testing a hypothesis), but you somehow quoted me using a word I quite literally did not use.

Fair point on whether it is possible to determine an objective best swim coach. I agree with you that this cannot be done.

(What WOULD be objective is the number of qualified athletes including men and women in a single games.)

THAT SAID, the commentariat has helped me understand the facts, which refute my hypothesis. So I now no longer have that hypothesis, and I have new knowledge as a result.

Job done!

AnEn
Reply to  Daaaave
3 years ago

You are very articulate (at least) … but the problem was that you never even had a hypothesis (since their is no objective way of determining who the best coach is) to begin with and therefore it wasn’t even possible/necessary to “refute” it. Would be like me claiming that pizza objectively is the best food.

Daaaave
Reply to  AnEn
3 years ago

*there

MarkB
Reply to  AnEn
3 years ago

Well, pizza is, so you are correct, sir!

SwimSider
Reply to  Daaaave
3 years ago

Steve Tigg at Stirling may have 6/7….

Honest Observer
3 years ago

Speaking as American, you guys are now the favorites in the 4 x 200. Not by much, and the picture could easily change come US Trials, but if they had to set the odds right now, you’d be favored.

Dee
Reply to  Honest Observer
3 years ago

Honestly, and I can’t believe I am saying this, but if you asked me right now, I’d say the USA finish 4th. As you say, I fully expect the US to have a couple of breakouts, but even the in seasons times have looked way off the pace so far this year. I’ll never count the US out, but I don’t think their 4×2 has ever looked this vulnerable to so many teams. Wishing your boys luck, as we all want to see a race for the ages in Tokyo 🤞🏻

Last edited 3 years ago by Dee
Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Dee
3 years ago

And it would be a real shame if Dressel wastes effort on a 4th place relay that might come in handy in all his other events. But I agree, the U.S. has had plenty of chances for breakthroughs — Seli in 2019 being the last — and it just hasn’t happened. A big breakthrough would by if just one of our guys did a 1:44.

Honest Observer
Reply to  Dee
3 years ago

That I disagree with, let me explain. The UK now has depth — substituting a 1:46.4 swimmer for the third or fourth place finishers in case of illness or injury wouldn’t represent too much of a sacrifice, and having Jervis swim in the heats might give Scott some more rest from his busy schedule. Not sure what Joe Litchfield’s schedule is, but you could even put him in the heats and give James Guy some rest (he’s going to presumably have to contend with the finals of the 200 fly the same night as the 4 x 200). But Australia and Russia simply don’t have that sort of depth, and if one of their guys gets injured, there’ll probably be… Read more »

SAMUEL HUNTINGTON
Reply to  Honest Observer
3 years ago

Australia and Russia have a lot of depth in this event as well.

Casas 100 back gold in Tokyo
Reply to  Honest Observer
3 years ago

You sure Russia and Australia have no depth? At least in Russia’s case, their 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th at trials were all faster than the GB counterparts. And Rylov didn’t swim it but had a 1:46 leading off the relay.

AnEn
Reply to  Honest Observer
3 years ago

How could the picture easily change? The odds are clearly in favor of GB (over the US) now. Who exactly from the US wil go 1:44.4 and 1:44.5?
Only 4 relays have gone sub 7:00 ever and two of them only did it with supersuits, so the top 2 fastest times in textile are 6:58.56 (USA, Beijing 2008) and 6:59.70 (USA, London 2012). GB could realistically go the 2nd fastest textile time ever and i don’t see how the US could match that, when they couldn’t even do it in 2012 with Lochte and Phelps.

Last edited 3 years ago by AnEn
Troll in the Dungeon
Reply to  AnEn
3 years ago

Um, Beijing 2008 was not textile.

AnEn
Reply to  Troll in the Dungeon
3 years ago

Ok, i meant non-supersuit. But your correction actually helps my point. Makes it even less likely that the US can go around 6:59 low this year.

About Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having 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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