Simmonds Seals Up 200 Backstroke Gold In Aberdeen

2017 SCOTTISH NATIONAL OPEN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, June 29th – Sunday, July 2nd
• Aquatics Centre, Aberdeen Sports Village
• Meet Central
• Live Stream
• Day 1 Recap
• Results

The Scottish National Open Swimming Championships in Aberdeen saw 2016 Olympian Ross Murdoch win the 200m breaststroke event to get things started on night 2. Clocking a time of 2:12.96, Murdoch managed the field easily to top the podium in preparation for his upcoming appearance at the World Championships.

After his race, Murdoch said, “I’m absolutely delighted with that to be honest with you. I was racing in Rome last week and went a 2:14.2 in the heats, the same as here. But in Rome I only managed to get that time down by a second in the final, Here, I’ve gone better and that just down to hard work. I’ve come here unrested, and unshaved; that’s pretty quick for me in-season.”

Yesterday’s 400m IM winner, Viktoria Gunes of Turkey, added another gold to her haul, winning the 200m IM sprint today. 2:14.81 is what Gunes produced in tonight’s final. Shortly after, Gunes took on the 100m breaststroke event where she collected a 4th place finish in a time of 1:09.77. Corrie Scott, Scotland’s national record holder in the 50m breaststroke, topped the 100m field tonight in 1:08.77.

The men’s 100m backstroke race proved extremely close as City of Glasgow’s Craig McNally raced to the wall first in 55.69, just .04 ahead of University of Stirling’s Charlie Boldison who touched in 55.73 for silver. Of note, 2016 Olympic finalist in the 100m freestyle and two-time relay silver medalist Duncan Scott was among the 100m back competitors, finishing 4th in a solid 55.98 for an off-event.

England’s Elizabeth Simmonds commanded the women’s 200m backstroke field with a quick time of 2:08.92 for the win. Splitting 1:03.81/1:05.11, Simmonds produced the only sub-2:10 of the field and now ranks as the fastest British female in the event so far this season. Her 2:08.92 outing checks-in as the 10th fastest time in the world thus far.

Additional Winners:

• Camilla Hattersley took the women’s 800m freestyle in 8:35.98
• Rachel Masson of South Aberdeen was the women’s 50m freestyle victor in 25.45.
• Regan Lloyd was the men’s 400m freestyle winner in 4:01.11.
• Laure Pilkington broke the SM6 Scottish Record for 200m IM with 4:19.42.
• Ollie Carter also earned the S10 400m freestyle Scottish Record in 4:32.46.