Lucy Hope’s Scottish Record Builds Case For British Women’s 400 Free Relay

2021 BRITISH SWIMMING SELECTION TRIALS

Two Scottish national records bit the dust on day 4 of the 2021 British Swimming Selection Trials. In addition to Kathleen Dawson‘s 2:08.14 stunner in the women’s 200m backstroke, her second national mark of the week, Lucy Hope did some damage of her own in the women’s 100m freestyle.

Racing her way to a bronze medal finish, 24-year-0ld Hope clocked a time of 54.19 to touch behind winner Freya Anderson and Anna Hopkin who each qualified for the Olympic Games in respective efforts of 53.40 and 53.49.

For Hope, the Edinburgh standout opened in 26.13 and closed in 28.06 to produce a new lifetime best, overtaking her own career-quickest of 54.69 from the 2020 British Universities & Colleges (BUCS) Championships. Hope’s 54.19 performance here in London also surpassed the longstanding Scottish standard of 54.31 Caitlin McClatchey put on the books way back in 2008.

In terms of all-time British performers, Hope now inserts herself into slot #6.

All-Time British Women’s LCM 100 Freestyle Performers

1 Francesca Halsall Co Liverpool 90 13th Fina World Champs2009, Rome 31/07/09 52.87
2 Anna Hopkin Ealing 96 The 18th FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea 25/07/19 53.21
3 Freya Anderson Bath Univ 01 The 18th FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea 25/07/19 53.31
4 Siobhan-Marie O’Connor Team Bath AS 95 British Championships 2015, London 14/04/15 53.81
5 Amy Smith Wyre Forest 87 British Gas Swimming Championships 2012, London 08/03/12 54.01
6 Lucy Hope Edinburgh 97 British Olympic Selection Trials 17/04/21 54.19

With her significant time drop and 3rd place finish, Hope helps build the case for Great Britain to bring a women’s 400m free relay along on the roster for this summer’s postponed 2020 Olympic Games. Tonight, the combination of Anderson, Hopkin, Hope and 4th place finisher Evelyn Davis of Bromley combined to put up a collective time of 3:35.77, a mark which would have placed 5th at the last edition of the Games in Rio.

More recently at the 2019 FINA World Championships, this squad would have also placed 5th at the meet where GBR did not field a squad.

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Skoorbnagol
2 years ago

Marie Wattel is French.
So she’s 6th.
British swimming doesn’t remove foreign athletes who are registered to British clubs on rankings.

About Retta Race

Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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