Eight National Records Broken On Last Day of British Para-Swimming International

2016 BRITISH PARA-SWIMMING INTERNATIONAL MEET

Woking Swimming Club’s Hannah Russell stopped the clock in the 50 free prelims at 27.22, tying her own S12 British record set back at the 2015 British Summer Championships. She would return for finals to lower that standard down to 27.01 for the newest S12 British standard and earn 988 BD points for the gold.

In the men’s 50 free, Matthew Wylie from City of Sunderland registered a 25.96 in the prelims, lowering his own S9 national record (26.40) established at the 2015 British Summer Championships. Wylie would top the men’s field overall with 936 BD points, update his S9 national record to 25.69 in finals, and punch his ticket to the Rio Games. Unable to achieve the qualification marks in the 100 and 400 free, Josef Craig from City of Sunderland turned in 27.27 in finals thus earning his Rio standard and resetting his own S8 British record (27.85), which he swam at this meet exactly one year ago to the day. Brothers James and Stephen Clegg went head-to-head in the last heat, but James emerged with a three one-hundredths of second victory, 25.21 versus 25.24, and was just one one-hundredth of his S12 British record of 25.20.

While she was off the SM14 200 IM World Record by six tenths of a second, Bethany Firth of Newcastle did finish inside her British record of 2:22.12 for a new national standard of 2:21.93 during finals and earned the gold medal with 987 BD points. Also swimming in Firth’s heat was T North WP’s Harriet Lee, who dropped the SM10 British record from 2:36.01 down to 2:35.37. Grace Harvey of Hoddesdon joined the ladies’ record-setting club by dropping her SM7 national record from 3:17.78 to 3:14.19 swimming in the first heat of the 200 IM finals.

The men’s 200 IM didn’t go without their own haul of British records as Kahoru Harazawa of Beckenham and Thomas Hamer from City of Manchester Aquatics lowered their national marks in their respective classifications. Harazawa went for a two-peat, breaking the SM10 record in the prelims with 2:17.44 and went a bit further with 2:16.35 at night. Hamer’s previous SM14 national record was swum in the same pool in fact, back at the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships, and lowered his personal best to 2:15.65. Both gentlemen acquired their Paralympic qualification standards. Nova Centurion’s Oliver Hynd would claim the gold medal in the men’s 200 IM with his 2:24.51 earning 927 BD points.

SM4 150 IM British record-holder Lyndon Longhorne swam as the only athlete in the event and was unable to chase the necessary Rio Paralympic qualification standard as he touched in 2:55.02

 

 

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About Stephen Parsons

Stephen Parsons

Stephen's swimming journey has taken him all across the Southeastern United States. Starting out at the Flowood, MS based Sunkist Swim Team, he made the transition to Auburn, AL where he competed the remainder of his high school years with Auburn Aquatics. His college career began at Daytona State College under the …

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