Angharad Evans Shatters Own British Record in 100 Breast With World-Leading 1:04.96

2026 AQUATICS GB SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, April 14th – Sunday, April 19th
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After breaking Molly Renshaw’s British Record in the 200 breast on Tuesday with a 2:19.70, becoming the ninth-fastest performer all time, Angharad Evans made history once again on the final night of the competition.

Leading the 100m breast final from start to finish, the 22-year-old clocked a world-leading 1:04.96 to shatter her own British Record of 1:05.37 from this meet last year.

Evans opened in 30.88 and closed in 34.08, faster on both splits than her previous record swim.

Splits Comparison:

Her closing split of 34.08 makes her the fourth-fastest swimmer ever on the back half, with only Russia’s Yuliya Efimova, Evgeniia Chikunova, and the United States’ Rebecca Soni having recorded a sub-34 split.

To put the swim in perspective, Evans’ time would have won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics and each of the last two editions of the World Championships.

She is now the 10th swimmer in world history to crack the 1:05 barrier.

Top 10 All-Time Performers:

1. Lilly King (USA) – 1:04.13, 2017
2. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – 1:04.35, 2013
3. Yuliya Efimova (RUS) – 1:04.36, 2017
4. Tang Qianting (CHN) – 1:04.39, 2024
5. Jessica Hardy (USA) – 1:04.45, 2009
6. Tatjana Smith (RSA) – 1:04.82, 2021
7. Rebecca Soni (USA) – 1:04.84, 2009
8. Evgeniia Chikunova (RUS) – 1:04.92, 2023
9. Lydia Jacoby (USA) – 1:04.95, 2021
10. Angharad Evans (GBR) – 1:04.96, 2026*

Evans was thrilled with the swim, and admitted the result caught her a bit off guard.

“So unexpected to back up my 200 with another good swim gives me a lot of confidence going into summer,” she said. “That definitely did not feel like a perfect race still, so I’ll be interested to watch that back and see where I can improve.”

Asked about her 30.88 opening split, Evans acknowledged the aggressive front half was intentional but admitted it took a toll.

“To go 1:04, that’s not an easy thing to do, and my easy speed is where I knew I had to push it, so I definitely tried to go out fast,” she said. “That’s not actually far off my 50 PB, so it was always going to hurt.”

Reflecting on a week that culminated in two personal bests and two British Records, Evans said neither outcome was something she had anticipated heading into the meet.

“Two PBs, two British Records. I did not go into this week thinking I’d do that,” she said. “Big confidence boost going into summer, and racing the European girls is going to be amazing. Definitely points for improvement.”

Heading into the Commonwealth Games and European Championships, there is no doubt that Evans will start as the heavy favorite in the 100 breast, though Chikunova figures to provide tough competition in the 200 at Europeans.

Evans’ Background

Evans competed for the University of Georgia from 2020-2022, and after the 2022 NCAAs, didn’t race any competitions for a full year. In 2023, she contested the British Championships, where she finished 3rd in the 50m (31.72) and 100m breaststroke (1:08.05), missing the Worlds team.

At the 2024 British Trials, Evans won the 100m breast in 1:06.54 to earn her way to her first major international meet, junior or senior. The 21-year-old Evans went on to the AP Race London where she won the 100 breast in a new National Record time of 1:05.54. Come the Olympics, she was just off her PB, swimming 1:05.85 in the event to finish 6th.

At the Aquatics GB Championships last year, Evans had the meet of her life, clocking 1:05.37 to reset her own national record and take the top time in the world going into the World Championships. After putting added focus on the 200 breast earlier in the season, she popped a massive best time of 2:21.86, coming within a second of the then-British Record to claim her second-ever British title.

Come Singapore, Evans struggled in the 100 breast, finishing 18th in 1:07.04, missing the semifinal entirely. She bounced back a few days later for the 200 breast, swimming 2:24.21 in the final to finish 5th.

She finished 2025 ranked third in the world in the 200 breast and fourth in the 100 breast.