Freya Colbert Nears 400 IM Gold Medal Doha Time At Edinburgh International

2024 EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL SWIM MEET

• Friday, March 8th – Sunday, March 10th
• Royal Commonwealth Pool, Edinburgh, Scotland
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview
• Draft Entries
• Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap
• Results
• Livestream

Day two of the 2024 Edinburgh International saw World Championships silver medalist Max Litchfield take the men’s 400m IM to begin the evening.

29-year-old Litchfield posted a time of 4:13.56 to win the event by nearly 6 seconds as a sign of where he’s at with the British Swimming Championships (Olympic Trials) on the calendar for next month.

Litchfield took silver in this event at this year’s World Championships, his first outing representing the British flag at an international competition since the Tokyo Olympics. In Doha, Litchfield logged a time of 4:10.40 to earn runner-up status behind gold medalist Lewis Clareburt of New Zealand who topped the podium in 4:09.72.

Birmingham’s Oliver Morgan looked in control of the men’s 50m back en route to topping the podium.

21-year-old Morgan stopped the clock in 24.95 as the sole competitor under the 25-second barrier. His outing was within striking distance of his best-ever performance of 24.73, a time notched just last month at BUCS to become Great Britain’s #2 performer of all time.

The women’s 50m back saw Irish national record holder Danielle Hill get it done for gold, producing a mark of 27.91. Her national record remains at the 27.69 put up at last April’s Ulster Championships.

Olympian Kathleen Dawson logged 28.25 for runner-up status in tonight’s race while Bath’s Niamh Ward rounded out the podium in 29.07.

The Netherlands’ Tessa Giele posted a time of 58.42 to get to the wall first in the women’s 100m fly. That checks in as a new personal best for the 21-year-old, crushing her previous career-quickest 58.71 from the semi-finals of the 2022 European Championships.

Ireland’s Ellen Walshe nabbed silver in 58.82 and Ciara Schlosshan also landed on the podium in 59.16 for bronze.

Newly minted world champion Freya Colbert raced in her bread-and-butter 400m IM event, finding success in a time of 4:37.72. That was just over a half second off her gold medal-winning 4:37.14 registered in Doha.

Katie Shanahan was next to the wall in 4:43.99 and Walshe pulled a double, following up her 100m fly medal with bronze in 4:44.22.

For Colbert, her outing tonight checked in as the 4th-quickest of her young career.

Freya Colbert‘s Top 5 LCM 400 IM Performances

1. 4:35.38, 2023 World Championships
2. 4:35.50, 2023 British Swimming Championships
3. 4:37.14, 2024 World Championships
4. 4:37.72, 2024 Edinburgh International Swim Meet
5. 4:38.29, 2023 World Championships (heats)

The women’s 50m breaststroke lived up to the hype, with the trio of Imogen Clark, Kara Hanlon and Angharad Evans all in the mix for the gold.

It was Clark who touched first in 30.74, beating Hanlon by .21 (30.95) in the fight to the finish. Evans settled for bronze in 31.03. All 3 women were faster than their prelims swims

Additional Notes

• 31-year-old James Wilby turned in a time of 1:00.20 to win the men’s 100m breast by over a second.
• Jesse Puts of the Netherlands topped the men’s 50m free podium in 22.21, following up on his 50m fly gold from last night. Ireland’s Tom Fannon posted 22.34 for silver followed by Edinburgh’s David Cumberlidge and his mark of 22.36. Duncan Scott placed 4th in 22.41.
• Abbie Wood carried her top-seeded momentum in the women’s 200m free, grabbing gold in a time of 1:58.17. Medi Harris was also under 1:59 in a result of 1:58.63, just .04 outside her lifetime best. Stirling’s Lucy Hope captured bronze in 1:59.63.