2023 British Swimming Championships: Day 6 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 Original Selection Criteria
• Revised Selection Criteria
• Draft Entries
• Day 1 Finals Recap/Day 2 Finals Recap/Day 3 Finals Recap/Day 4 Finals Recap/Day 5 Finals Recap
• Live Results
• Livestream

We have reached the final night of racing at the 2023 British Swimming Championships. Six events are on the lineup for tonight’s session, including five in which World Championships qualification is on the line.

The only man who has swum under the British qualification standard in any event so far is Daniel Jervis in the men’s 1500 freestyle. The reigning Olympic champion Tom Dean and the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Duncan Scott are both in the 200 freestyle final today and they will attempt to clear the 1:45.01 auto-qualifying time.

We will also see if Luke Greenbank can hit the mark in the 200 backstroke and if he can out-swim top Oliver Morgan. In the women’s 100 breaststroke, Kara Hanlon swam a 1:07.27 in the heats, nearing her 1:06.75 Scottish record. She will face Imogen Clark, Angharad Evans, Sienna Robinson, and more in the final.

Women’s 1500 Freestyle

• British Record: 15:47.26 – Jazz Carlin (2013)
• World Championships Qualification Standard: 15:56.86

1. Amelie Blocksidge – 16:19.67
2. Fleur Lewis – 16:25.78
3. Michaella Glenister – 16:44.51

14-year-old Amelie Blocksidge (who turns 14 today) was already having a solid meet at these British Championships, having broken several British age records and qualified for a few A finals. Blocksidge took it up a level here, however, by winning her first national title in the women’s 1500 freestyle.

Blocksidge was seeded second in this event with a 16:31.16, which she swam at the Swedish Gran Prix in March 2023. This swim is a 12-second improvement for Blocksidge just weeks after that former swim. She brought down the British age record in this event as well.

The entire field here was slower than both the World Championships Qualifying Standard of 15:56.86 and the consideration time of 16:01.46. Blocksidge’s strides in the freestyle events at this meet, however, bode well for the future of British women’s distance swimming.

Fleur Lewis was the top seed heading into this event with a 16:28.47 and she managed to shave a few seconds off that time with a 16:25.78 to claim the silver medal. Michaella Glenister came in 19 seconds later with a 16:44.51 and Leah Crisp dipped under 17 minutes with a 16:59.41 for fourth.

Men’s 50 Butterfly

• British Record: 22.75 – Ben Proud (2017)

1. Jacob Peters – 22.89
2. Ben Proud – 23.37
3. Lewis Fraser – 23.62

The question heading into the men’s 50 butterfly final was whether any of these men would crack 23 seconds. During prelims, Lewis Fraser had the fastest time with a 23.57.

Ultimately, Jacob Peters pulled off the feat and delivered a 22.89 best time, improving upon the 23.29 that he swam in Birmingham last year during the Commonwealth Games. Peters dropped almost a second from his morning swim of 23.65 to claim the gold medal. He also got within 0.15 seconds of Ben Proud‘s British record in this event.

The silver medal went to Ben Proud who hit a 23.37. Proud swam a best time of 22.75 back in 2017 to break the national record and he has been under 23 a total of nine times in his career. Last year, he won gold in the 50 butterfly at the Commonwealth Games with a 22.81. He also hit a 22.76 at World Champs during semi-finals before having a slightly weak finals performance of 23.08 for 7th.

We will likely see Proud and Peters race this event for Great Britain at the World Championships this summer but will need to wait until the team is announced to be sure. Lewis Fraser got onto the podium as well with a 23.62, just ahead of Thomas Carswell‘s 23.75.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke

• British Record: 1:06.21 – Molly Renshaw (2021)
• World Championships Qualification Standard: 1:05.97

1. Kara Hanlon – 1:06.83
2. Imogen Clark – 1:07.92
3. Angharad Evans – 1:08.05

Top seed Kara Hanlon managed to maintain her position in the women’s 100 breaststroke final, walking away with a gold medal in the event. She dropped down from the 1:07.27 she put up in prelims to a 1:06.83 in the final, nearing her PB and Scottish record of 1:06.75 from BUCS earlier in 2023.

Hanlon raced this event for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, placing 8th with a 1:08.67. She hasn’t raced for Britain at a World Championships before but this swim might get her there this year. She did miss the auto-qualifying standard and the consideration standard of 1:06.42 but was under the FINA A cut. That means that Britain could select her for the 2023 World Championships.

Imogen Clark won Commonwealth silver last year in the 50 breast and placed 9th in the semi-final of the 100 breast. Her lifetime best in the 100 is a 1:07.58 and she was right on top of that here with a 1:07.92 to claim the silver medal. Rounding out the podium, Angharad Evans hit a 1:08.05 to shave more than a second off her PB heading into the meet of 1:09.26.

Men’s 200 Backstroke

• British Record: 1:54.43 – Luke Greenbank (2021)
• World Championships Qualification Standard: 1:56.05

1. Oliver Morgan – 1:57.17
2. Brodie Williams – 1:57.18
3. Luke Greenbank – 1:57.67

Oliver Morgan pulled off the backstroke sweep with this swim, securing the gold after winning the 50 and 100 backstrokes on days one and two. This was an incredibly close race for gold and was decided by only 0.01 seconds with Morgan hitting a 1:57.17 to Brodie Williams‘ 1:57.18.

Heading into this meet, Morgan had a best time of 2:01.78, meaning that he has shaved more than four seconds off his PB.

Williams made a push at the end of the race to overtake the Morgan but came just short. He did, however, finish ahead of Luke Greenbank. Greenbank has been faster than all other British men, holding a lifetime best and national record of 1:54.43 from the 2021 European Championships. Greenbank took bronze in this event at the 2020 Olympics.

All three of those men missed the auto-qualifying cut for the World Championships of 1:56.05 and also missed the consideration time of 1:56.50.

The fourth man to crack 1:58 in this field was Cameron Booker who swam a 1:57.94, shaving a few seconds off his morning swim of 2:01.55 and his entry time of 1:59.59.

Women’s 100 Butterfly

• British Record: 57.25 – Ellen Gandy (2012)
• World Championships Qualification Standard: 56.41

1. Keanna Macinnes – 57.97
2. Laura Stephens – 58.14
3. Harriet Jones – 58.49

Keanna Macinnes flew to victory in the final women’s race of the meet, hitting a 57.97 100 butterfly. Macinnes broke 58 seconds for the first time here and took out her own Scottish record of 58.55 from last year’s British Championships. This is her second national record of the meet as she also set a new 200 butterfly mark with her 2:08.05 a few days ago.

While she hit a new PB, Macinnes was still more than a second off the World Championships auto-qualifying cut. That mark sits at a 56.41, which is notably faster than the British record in the event of 57.25.

Laura Stephens got under the qualifying time in the 200 butterfly when she hit a 2:06.22 for gold but she was a bit shy of the 100 butterfly standard. Stephens took silver with a 58.14 here. That time is better than her morning swim of 59.14 and is a bit slower than her lifetime best of 57.98 from 2021.

Harriet Jones rounded out the podium, snagging bronze with her time of 58.49, and Emily Large hit a 59.10 for fourth overall.

Men’s 200 Freestyle

• British Record: 1:44.22 – Tom Dean (2021)
• World Championships Qualification Standard: 1:45.01

1. Matt Richards – 1:44.83
2. Tom Dean – 1:44.93
3. James Guy – 1:45.85

Tom Dean flipped first at the 50 and 100, splitting a 24.23 and a 50.67 at those checkmarks. He was the field leader for the entire race and got close to taking gold but Matt Richards had enough left in the tank to overtake Dean. Richards touched first with a 1:44.83 to claim the gold and qualify for the World Championships.

The auto-qualifying cut in this event is a 1:45.01, meaning that Richards has successfully gotten himself a spot on the team heading to World Championships later this year. The time for Richards is a new Welsh record, improving upon his former mark of 1:45.77 from 2021. He swam this event for Great Britain at the 2022 World Championships. placing 30th in a 1:48.74.

Reigning Olympic champion and British record-holder Tom Dean touched 0.10 seconds after Richards with a 1:44.93 to also clear the qualifying standard. Dean has been as fast as a 1:44.22 before and took bronze at Worlds in 2022 with a 1:44.98. He will likely be selected to race this event for Great Britain at Worlds.

The race for third was contentious as well as James Guy and Duncan Scott battled it out. Guy ultimately touched with a 1:45.85 for the bronze medal, 0.05 seconds ahead of Olympic silver medalist in the event Duncan Scott. The aggregate time of the top four men was a 7:01.51, getting them well under the consideration cut for the 4×200 freestyle relay this summer.

These four men won Olympic gold in the 4×200 freestyle at Tokyo 2020 and will be in contention for another medal this summer at Fukuoka 2023.