2019 LEN EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, December 4th – Sunday, December 8th
- Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Glasgow, Scotland
- SCM
- Entry List
23-year old British swimmer Siobhan-Marie O’Connor is entered in 4 individual events at next weekend’s European Short Course Swimming Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. 3 of those 4 events are no surprise – the 100 IM, 200 IM, and 100 breaststroke. The 4th, however, is a bit more unexpected – she’s individually entered in the 100 fly, which is an event where she was very good in her teens, but hasn’t raced seriously in several years.
O’Connor has 5 total European short course medals in her career, from the 2012, 2013, and 2015 championships, and all of those medals have come in the 100 IM and 200 IM. The same is true for most of her international medals in long course and short course to this point in her career (including matching silvers in those races at the 2014 World Championships, and a 200 IM silver at the 2016 Olympic Games).
But she does have 1 big career medal in the 100 fly – a Commonwealth Games silver in long course from 2014. That race was done in Glasgow in the same pool that will host next week’s European Championships.
While her best short course time in the 100 fly of 55.93, which she swam at the 2015 Duel in the Pool, would be the top seed at Euros, her fastest time since that swim was done earlier this month in 58.23. That leaves her as the 17th seed for these European Championships.
In long course, her best swim since the Olympics is a 59.13, though there she’s been 57.45 (in 2014 when she took that silver medal).
The top contenders in that event will be the Italian duo of Elena Di Liddo (seed time 56.06) and Ilaria Bianchi (56.39), along with Katinka Hosszu, who seems to be shifting back to butterfly races from backstroke, and who is the 14th seed (but will almost certainly finish higher than that).
It is still possible that she will scratch the race, as Great Britain’s only entry. She may wind up swimming the fly leg of Britain’s 4×50 medley relay in that event.
O’Connor’s most recent meet was her International Swimming League debut for the London Roar last weekend at the European Derby meet. Her best finish there was a 2:08.01 in the 200 IM for 4th place, which was a season best but a long way from her lifetime best. With her London team qualified for the ISL finale 2 weeks after the European Championships, she’ll have 2 big meets in December to taper for – and her approach to that decision will probably determine whether or not she contends for a 100 fly medal in Glasgow.
I think if there is any race to scratch it will be this one. However, I would love to see what she can do in the 100 fly as if she can do well she could make up for the fact that the 100 fly is an incredibly weak event in Britain right now and potentially qualify for the olympics in the 100 fly.
Also, she isn’t Britain’s only entrant. Laura Stephens is entered too.