Rising British Talent Leah Schlosshan Breaks Euro Juniors Record in 200 IM

2023 EUROPEAN JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Versatile 18-year-old Leah Schlosshan delivered Great Britain its first gold medal of the European Junior Championships with a 2:12.41 in the women’s 200 IM, in the process erasing the meet record of 2:13.03 that Italy’s Ilaria Cusinato clocked in 2016.

Schlosshan made it back-to-back Euro Junior titles in the event after winning last year in 2:13.49. Her lifetime best is a 2:11.72 from this year’s British Championships, where she became the eighth-fastest British woman ever.

The City of Leeds standout barely missed the British roster for the World Championships later this month with third-place finishes in both the 200 IM (2:11.72) and 400 IM (4:46.40) as well as a 7th-place finish in the 200 free (2:00.36) at British Trials. Schlosshan is also slated to represent Great Britain this summer at the inaugural LEN U23 Championships in Dublin, Ireland.

With a bright future ahead of her, it was surprising to hear a rumor swirl on the latest episode of double Olympic gold medalist Tom Dean‘s podcast that Schlosshan might leave behind swimming to pursue a medical degree. However, she told SwimSwam that’s not true, and that she’s deferring her offer from Nottingham University for a year to focus on qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“Definitely not giving up swimming any time soon,” Schlosshan said. “Depending on how swimming goes I’ll perhaps delay my medical degree but so far I’ve deferred my offer.”

Although Schlosshan is choosing swimming over her studies for now, Dean’s podcast brought up an interesting discussion about how the American collegiate system makes it easier to do both compared to the U.K.

“None of the national centres for swimming in the U.K. offer medicine β€” there aren’t many unis that offer elite training options apart from Edinburgh and Sheffield,” Schlosshan told SwimSwam. “I applied for both but unfortunately didn’t get in. American wasn’t really an option for me as I didn’t want to be that far away from home.”

GIRLS 200 IM – FINAL

  • World Junior Record: 2:06.89, Summer McIntosh (CAN) 2023
  • European Junior Record: 2:11.03
  • European Record: 2:06.12, Katinka Hosszu (HUN0 2015
  • Championship Record: 2:13.03 Ilaria Cusinato (ITA) 2016
  • 2022 European Junior Champion:Β Leah SchlosshanΒ (GBR) 2:13.49

PODIUM:

  • GOLD:Β Leah SchlosshanΒ (GBR) 2:12.41 *Championships Record
  • SILVER:Β Phoebe CooperΒ (GBR) 2:13.28
  • BRONZE: Ellie McCartney (IRL) 2:14.31

TeammateΒ Phoebe CooperΒ made it a 1-2 British punch while Ireland’sΒ Ellie McCartneyΒ rounded out the top 3 in 2:14.21.

Cooper has earned two relay medals here so this 2IM represents her first individual medal of Belgrade. The same holds true for McCartney, with the 18-year-old bagging bronze, Ireland’s first medal at these championships.

Earlier this week, Schlosshan missed podium in the 200 free by less than a second with a fourth-place finish in 2:00.18.

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Anna green
3 months ago

Karma will come at some point for cheating all lockdown when everyone else wasn’t in a pool

Swammer
9 months ago

She would be better going to join Bath or Stirling, needs to keep away from Loughborough. Tiggy and Nutty have had the best results in recent years

SwimObs
Reply to  Swammer
9 months ago

I agree Center or University squad are not a place you want to send your swimmer as a coach.

Swimm
Reply to  SwimObs
9 months ago

But you would send them to Bath, to join:

Ed Mildred
Mathew Richards
Freya Anderson
Holly Hibbott
Brodie Williams
Emily Large
Cameron Kurle
Chloe Tutton
Georgia Coates
…..

In underachieving?

Dave Hemmings, Andi Manley, or Ian Hulme all would likely have had a better return on that talent list than Bath.

Swammer
Reply to  Swimm
9 months ago

Yes I agree they have under achieved but Dave Hemmings hasn’t done much better yet, that may change with Freya Colbert and Anddi Manley’s group is distance and Ian Hulme is sprint so I think she would be best going to Stirling

Billy Bob from over East
Reply to  SwimObs
9 months ago

Tokyo 2020 GB medalists = 11; 11 from national Centres – 0 from elsewhere…
Yep, best to hang on to them…

AquaDuck
Reply to  Billy Bob from over East
9 months ago

If you include Duncan Scott + Kathleen Dawson, who arguably are not in an official Performance Centre.

SwimObs
9 months ago

Is there nothing BS can do to get such a talented swimmer into the right course? What is the purpose of all these management positions in BS when they can’t get anything done for young athletes?

AquaDuck
9 months ago

Given the absence of Russia, this overall performance by British Swimming does not look favourable on the surface.

Perhaps the powers that be have been spoiled, by a small group of athletes and coaches flattering their positions over the past decade?

Dee
Reply to  AquaDuck
9 months ago

After a few days I was wondering if something was going on behind the scenes that had disrupted the team – I.e. illness or logistical issues – As we had seen no more than a few PBs, and that just isn’t normal at a summer age group meet. It picked up a little, but very poor overall.

The unoriginal Tim
9 months ago

Great reporting and glad to hear that she will be giving it a go for Paris. I wish I was that smart and sensible at 18 – and that good at IM πŸ™‚

The national centre system in the U.K. is too centralised. They took away Swansea (which has a medical school) a few years ago despite having Carlin, Jervis and Alys Thomas training there at one time or another. The program in London that Wilmott was at also closed and she had to move or lose funding. The blazers at BS want everyone in a litle pen at Loughborough or Bath ideally. I am glad Stirling continues to thrive.

Last edited 9 months ago by The unoriginal Tim
Alison England
Reply to  The unoriginal Tim
9 months ago

Swansea’s medical school is graduate entry only, so would not have suited Leah anyway. Unlike in the USA, the majority of medical students study medicine as a first degree, although there’s a number of graduate entry programmes here in the UK. Admission is more competitive, due to the lower number of places available.

Alison England
Reply to  Alison England
9 months ago

Why would anyone rate this negatively? All of what I say is correct!

The unoriginal Tim
Reply to  Alison England
9 months ago

Wasn’t me. I just upvoted πŸ™‚

Thanks for the info about Swansea I didn’t know. I still feel the opportunities for swimmers are too condensed in the UK. Funding should not be contingent on attending a national centre.

Perhaps the downvote is for suggesting medical school is harder to get into in the UK. Medical places in the UK are set (low) by the government. This makes competition for the places insane. Students with the British equivalent of a 4.0 GPA do not get into medical school. I assume in the USA the market sets the number of places somewhat? I imagine it is still very hard to get in.

Alison England
Reply to  The unoriginal Tim
9 months ago

I agree with your comment about the National Centres.

My comment about difficulty getting in was about it being more difficult to get into a graduate programme in the UK than an undergraduate one in the UK. Probably even more so, now the number of undergraduate places are being increased due to the shortage of doctors here. I have no doubt that admission the medical school is tough (and expensive) in the US.

Billy Bob from over East
Reply to  The unoriginal Tim
9 months ago

British Swimming still funds Stirling to a large extent (hence why some English athletes go there) and I understand they pump a small amount into Swansea to support the few programme athletes there. All Tokyo medallists came from the Centres, none from anywhere else. Sad you people have to begrudge coaches like McNulty, Marshall, Tigg, Hemmings et al who are all doing a great job with a very limited talent pool..

About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines. A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …

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