Kara Hanlon Becomes First Scottish Female Under 1:07 In 100 Breaststroke

2023 BUCS LONG COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Friday, February 24th – Sunday, February 26th
• Ponds Forge International Swimming Center, Sheffield, England
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Site
• SwimSwam Preview
• Entries
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
• Live Results
• Livestream

While competing on the final night of the 2023 British Universities & Colleges (BUCS) Long Course Championships, Kara Hanlon downed her own Scottish national record in the women’s 100m breaststroke.

After claiming the top seed out of the heats with a morning time of 1:07.81, 25-year-old Hanlon of Edinburgh fired off a winning mark of 1:06.75 to snag silver behind winner Tatiana Belonogoff of Loughborough.

Hanlon opened in a quick 31.22 and brought it home in 35.53 to post the fastest time of her career. Entering this meet her best mark sat at the 1:07.35 national record she registered at the 2022 European Championships. There in Rome she ultimately placed 8th in the final with a time of 1:08.08.

With her outing here, Hanlon now becomes the first-ever Scottish female to delve under the 1:07 barrier in the 100m breaststroke event. In doing so, she now ranks as the 5th fastest British swimmer in history.

Top 5 British Women’s LCM 100 Breaststroke Performers

1. Molly Renshaw, 1:06.21 2021
2. Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, 1:06.34 2016
3. Sophie Taylor, 1:06.35 2014
4. Sarah Vasey, 1:06.37 2021
5. Kara Hanlon, 1:06.75 2022

Hanlon also now ranks 4th in the world this season, with Belonogoff checking in as the 3rd swiftest performer.

This significant time drop bodes well for Hanlon with the all-important British Swimming Championships on the horizon. That meet in April represents the sole qualifying opportunity for this summer’s World Championships.

Although swimmers can be selected at the discretion of the British Swimming brain trust, automatic consideration comes if the top finisher can meet or exceed the qualification time of 1:05.97 in this particular event. Meaning, the QT is faster than the British national record and Hanlon would need to drop another .78 in order to snag the standard.