GBR Day Four B-Final Quick Hits: Patryk Przyczyna Nabs Another Backstroke Age Record

2026 AQUATICS GB SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Day four of the 2026 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships is underway, as swimmers are vying not only for slots on the British roster for this year’s European Championships but also for the chance to represent their Home Nations at this year’s Commonwealth Games.

At this competition in years past, we’ve seen the Junior Finals and B-Finals meshed in with the A-Finals during the nightly session. This time around, however, the Junior Finals and B-Finals are taking place much earlier, at 6pm local, whereas the A-Finals are slotted for 7:45pm local.

As such, we reviewed the earlier finals session and gleaned some results worth noting, with the main, medal-contesting events nearly upon us.

First off, 15-year-old Patryk Przyczyna of Eastborne scorched a new British Junior Record in his age category’s 50m backstroke.

The teen topped the junior final this evening in a stellar result of 25.68, clearing the 26-second barrier for the first time in his career.

Entering this competition, Przyczyna held the junior record at the 26.40 logged at the Geneva Challenge in January of this year.

That means he hacked .72 off his previous benchmark to set an entirely new standard here.

Samuel Hall was the next swimmer to the wall in 26.00 to give Guildford City a silver, as Plymouth College’s Toby Namakura-Drew rounded out the junior final podium in 26.36.

As for Przyczyna, this 50m back record pairs with the speedy 100m back record he already nabbed earlier in the competition.

Yesterday, he clocked a time of 55.50 to qualify for the European Junior Championships team, erasing his former PB.

Additional Notes

  • It was an immensely close affair in the B-Final of the women’s 50m fly, with Manchester Performance Centre’s Blythe Kinsman leading a trio of swimmers all within .05 of one another. Ciara Morris of Swansea was the next to touch, hitting 27.18, while Birmingham University’s Izabella Okaro was a fingernail later in 27.19.
  • Although disappointed in not making the medal-contesting final, University of Stirling’s 18-year-old Dean Fearn topped the junior boys’ 100m fly podium in a time of 53.02. That would have won B-final gold this evening.

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Dee
1 month ago

Fearn a little off his PB in 53.02 but he snuck under the juniors standard and moving set up takes time. Solid depth developing in the junior boys fly with Sutcliffe and Hardy taking a sledgehammer to their PBs in behind. Would have liked to see Gabe Shepherd in there after his 53.3 a couple of months ago, hopeful he and Fearn will both push down towards 52flat this summer.

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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