2023 British Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2023 BRITISH SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, April 4th – Sunday, April 9th
• Prelims at 9:30 am local (4:30 am EDT)/Finals at 6:00 pm local (1:00 pm EDT)
• Ponds Forge, Sheffield
• LCM (50m)
• World Championships Qualifier
• World Championships Selection Criteria
• Draft Entries
• Day 1 Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap
• Live Results
• Livestream

The third finals session of the 2023 British Swimming Championships at Ponds Forge are here. Tonight’s finals session features only a handful of event, though there are a few long ones in it. The action will kick off with the fastest heat of the men’s 1500 free, which is a timed finals event in which the slower heats competed this morning. After the fastest heat of the mile, we’ll have traditional finals of the women’s 50 free, men’s 400 IM, women’s 200 fly, and men’s 100 free in that order. If you haven’t been following along on the action so far, these British Championships are running four finals heats for each event: there’s a ‘junior final’, a ‘priority Paris’ final, then the ‘B’ final, and lastly the ‘A’ final.

Matt Richards made waves this morning when he blew away his career best in the men’s 100 free, leading prelims with a sizzling 47.72. That time was Richards’ first performance under 48 seconds and makes him the second-fastest British performer all-time in the event, only 0.09 seconds off Lewis Burras‘ British Record of 47.63. Tonight’s final of the men’s 100 free ought to be a thrilling race, as the top five British performers all-time in the event will all be competing.

Anna Hopkin had a solid swim in the women’s 50 free this morning, clocking a 24.72 to lead the field by a significant margin. Hopkin will be chasing the automatic qualifying time for the World Champs team of 24.38 tonight, which sits just off her personal best of 24.34.

Laura Stephens will also be chasing that qualifying mark in the women’s 200 fly final tonight. Stephens was great this morning, swimming a 2:07.62, which came in just off her career best of 2:07.04. The automatic qualifying time for the British World Champs team is a 2:06.81, so Stephens was only 0.81 seconds off the mark this morning.

MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINALS

• British Record – 14:45.95, David Davies (2004)

PODIUM:

1. Daniel Jervis – 14:46.95
2. Tobias Robinson – 15:04.76
3. Nathan Hughes – 15:29.63

Daniel Jervis was on top of his game tonight in the men’s 1500 free, opening up this finals session with a blistering 14:46.95 to win the event convincingly. The performance comes in just off Jervis’ lifetime best of 14:46.51, which he set back at the 2019 British Championships. This was also Jervis’ second-fastest performance of his career in the LCM 1500 free.

He was just off the British Record as well, which is held by David Davies at 14:45.95 from 2004, 19 years ago. However, Jervis did clear the automatic qualifying standard of 14:48.53 for the British World Champs team. Jervis swam a very consistent race tonight, splitting 4:54.20 on the first 500m, 4:57.62 on the second 500m, and 4:55.13 on the final 500m.

Tobias Robinson came in second tonight, swimming a 15:04.76. That performance comes in just off Robinson’s lifetime best of 15:01.35, which he set at the 2021 British Trials two years ago.

WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – FINALS

• British Record – 23.96, Francesca Halsall (2014)

PODIUM:

1. Anna Hopkin – 24.51
2. Rebecca Guy – 25.30
3. Eva Okaro – 25.36

Anna Hopkin was great tonight, speeding to victory in the women’s 50 free in 24.51. That time comes in just 0.17 seconds off Hopkin’s lifetime best of 24.34, which has stood as her best since the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju. Importantly, Hopkin’s time tonight is faster than her 2022 best of 24.60, which she swam at the World Championships in Budapest last June.

Hopkin missed the automatic qualifying standard of 24.38 tonight, however, she did dip under the secondary qualifying standard of 24.65. Having achieved the secondary standard, it will be up to the discretion of British Swimming whether Hopkin earns a spot on the World Champs team in the event this summer.

Rebecca Guy swam to a second-place finish tonight in 25.30. That performance was massive for Guy, marking a personal best in the event. Her previous best of 25.34 had stood since the 2014 British Championships, meaning Guy cracked her PB in the event for the first time in nine years tonight.

Youngster Eva Okaro took third tonight, swimming a 25.36. That performance was just off Okaro’s career best of 25.33, which she swam at the 2021 European Junior Championships.

MEN’S 400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – FINALS

• British Record – 4:09.18, Duncan Scott (2022)

PODIUM:

1. Charlie Hutchison – 4:17.89
2. William Riley – 4:19.11
3. Mark Szaranek – 4:19.56

Roughly eight seconds separated gold medalist Charlie Hutchison and the World Champs qualifying standard of 4:09.19 in the 400 IM. Hutchison swam his way to first place in this final when he touched in a 4:17.89, shaving more than six seconds off his prelims time of 4:24.05.

This swim for Hutchison is right outside of his lifetime best of 4:17.63, which he swam four years ago at the European Junior Championships in Kazan. The qualifying standard in this event is exactly equal to Duncan Scott‘s British record in this event from last year. Scott will race today in the men’s 100 freestyle but opted of of this race.

William Riley moved up from 5th place in the heats (4:27.33) to second place with a 4:19.11. He got to the wall less than half a second before top-seeded Mark Szaranek who took bronze with his 4:19.56. Szaranek was also under his morning time (4:22.34) here, but missed his best time of 4:13.72 by around six seconds.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINALS

• British Record – 2:04.83, Ellen Gandy (2009)

PODIUM:

1. Laura Stephens – 2:06.62
2. Emily Large – 2:07.33
3. Keanna Macinnes – 2:08.05

Laura Stephens had a big swim in the women’s 200 butterfly, cracking 2:07.00 for the first time in her career. Stephens came into this meet with a 2021 best time of 2:07.04 and neared that time during the morning session with a 2:07.62. With a spot in lane four in the final, Stephens made the most of this race and shaved exactly one second off her time from prelims.

Stephens’ time is not only a best time, but it also gets her under the World Championships qualifying standard of 2:06.81 by a narrow margin. That makes her the second person to qualify for World Champs today after Daniel Jervis in the 1500 freestyle.

Emily Large put forth a solid effort and neared the 2:07 barrier as well as the qualifying standard, but she fell a but short with a 2:07.33. That’s still 2:09.36 from prelims and it’s slightly faster than her former lifetime best of 2:07.74 from back in 2017. Keanna Macinnes rounded out the top three with a 2:08.05 and Clara Schlosshan came in a few seconds later with a 2:11.27 for fourth.

That time from Macinnes is a new Scottish record in the 200 butterfly, improving upon Hannah Miley‘s 2:08.24 from the 2009 British Swimming Championships.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINALS

• British Record – 47.63, Lewis Burras (2022)

PODIUM:

1. Lewis Burras – 47.99
2. Duncan Scott – 48.00
3. Matt Richards – 48.02

After swimming the fastest time in the world this season during prelims, Matt Richards was a touch slower in the final with a 48.02. His morning swim of 47.72 would have won this final, but Lewis Burras and Duncan Scott wound up out-touching Richards here.

The medalists in this race made the top three almost as close as it can get as they all touched within 0.03 seconds. Burras was the only one to dip under 48, hovering above his lifetime best and British record of 47.63 from last year. It would have taken a new national record to hit the qualification standard of 47.60, meaning that no man in the field has automatically qualified.

The top three men were, however, under the consideration standard. Considering that Richards’ swim in the morning was the fastest at the meet but not under the auto-qualifying cut, it’s not clear who Great Britain will select to race this event individually this summer.

Tom Dean was just outside of the top three here with a 48.32 for fourth place and Jacob Whittle touched in fifth with a 48.66. Edward Mildred and Jack McMillan were each under 49 seconds as well, posting a 48.83 and 48.97, respectively.