Joe Litchfield Closes Out Glasgow With Tokyo-Worthy 100 Back

2021 BRITISH SWIMMING GLASGOW MEET

• Thursday, June 3rd – Sunday, June 6th
• Prelims at 5:30 pm local night before/Finals at 10:00 am local
• Tollcross International Swimming Centre
• LCM (50m)
• Last Chance Olympic Qualifier
• SwimSwam Preview
• Start Lists – DRAFT
• Day 1 Prelims/Finals #1
• Day 2 Prelims/Finals #2
• Day 3 Prelims
• Live Results
• Livestream

Action wrapped up from Tollcross this morning, where nearly 300 swimmers raced at the last-chance Olympic qualifying meet in Glasgow.

Saving his best for last, 22-year-old Joe Litchfield topped the men’s 100m backstroke field, putting up a career-quickest effort of 53.75 to grab the gold. Litchfield opened in 25.99 and brought it home in 27.76, with his result not only beating his previous PB but it also dips under the British Swimming-mandated qualification time 53.85 needed for Tokyo.

Litchfield had already been named to the British Olympic squad in the men’s 200m IM but this performance should establish the case for the Loughbourough man to have this 1back added.

Post-race, the David Hemmings-trained athlete said, “I’m so happy. A lot of us are pretty mentally tired right now, racing trials, coming out of that, holding into Europeans and then I didn’t quite get the time I wanted at Europeans, so Dave said, ‘so you want to train hard or do a bit more of a hold and try to get it at Glasgow?’” 

“Obviously you want another time, we knew I had it in me. Every time I’ve swam it, the front end or the back end was there, just not quite together, but it came together better than last night and I’m buzzing with that! It’s just another event to add to the Olympic programme.”

Another highlight of the morning finals session came in the women’s 100m free, with Anna Hopkin producing a winning effort of 53.56, beating the field by well over a second. This result sits just .07 outside of the 53.49 she logged at the British Trials behind Freya Anderson‘s winning 53.40, with both women easily cleary the 53.88 QT needed for the Olympic Games.

Of her swim here in Glasgow, Loughborough’s Hopkin said, “I’m really happy with that. To be able to produce that kind of swim off the back of hard training, after Europeans and with morning finals, it gives me a lot of confidence going into Tokyo. Trials was a good place to start, but I’ve really moved my swims on since then in hard training, so it bodes really well for the summer.

“The next three weeks are going to be pretty hard, a lot of gym work to do and a lot of volume in the pool, and then when we fly out we can start bringing it down a bit. We’re on the home straight now which is exciting.”

Additional winners included European Championships silver medalist in the 50m free, Ben Proud, hitting the wall first in the men’s 50m fly this morning gin 23.65. 16-year-old Jacob Whittle lowered his own national age record in the 100m free, taking gold in a super swift 48.55. Look for a separate post n his achievement.