Willmott, Nielsen, Walker-Hebborn Win On Final Night In Edinburgh

2016 EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL SWIM MEET

• Dates: Friday, March 11th – Sunday, March 13th, 2016
• Prelims 8:30 am local (3:30 am EST/12:30 am PST)
• Finals 5:15 pm (12:15 pm EST/9:15 am PST)
• Meet Central
• Meet Preview/Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
• Live Results

Even with heavy-hitters Craig Benson from Stirling and Michael Jamieson from Edinburgh, it was Grecian swimmer Dimitrios Koulouris who took the win in the men’s 200m breaststroke tonight. Koulouris led the field wire-to-wire, splitting 1:04.04/1:08.01 to touch in 2:12.50, holding on to outlast University of Bath’s Andrew Willis who finished less than .3 of a second behind in 2:12.79.

22-year-old Benson scored a time of 2:14.27 to take 3rd place, while Jamieson settled for 6th in 2:16.13.  Benson’s teammate Ross Murdoch led the field after prelims, having clocked a time of 2:14.67, but scratched tonight’s final. Derby’s Adam Peaty scratched the event all together.

It was a 2-woman race in the 400m IM, as London Aquatics’ Aimee Willmott took control from the start and didn’t let up, finally turning in a time of 4:35.84 for the victory. The 23-year-old has been as quick as 4:34.82 in Flanders back in January, which means Willmott now owns 2 of the top 5 times in the world in the grueling event.

Garioch’s Hannah Miley took the silver in the 400m IM tonight in 4:37.24, her swiftest of the season. Miley scored a mark of 4:40.76 at the Euro Meet in Luxembourg in January of this year, but the 27-year-old’s performance in Edinburgh rocketed her from 19th all the way to 8th in the world rankings after this weekend.

Another woman racer who dented the world rankings was Denmark’s Mie Nielsen, who wreaked some havoc on the 100m backstroke field. Nilsen’s best time entering the meet was the 1:00.45 she registered a the Reykjavik International meet back in January. But tonight, the 2015 FINA World Championships bronze medalist in the event dipped beneath the minute threshold, touching in 59.16 for the #4 time in the world.

Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte, who represented club team Plymouth Leander at the meet, doubled up on her 100m breaststroke victory with another strong win in the 50m breaststroke. The 50m event was a skins contest and Meilutyte wound up as the overall winner, clocking 30.69 for the 3rd-fastest mark in the world this season.

Tattoo king Chris Walker Hebborn from the University of Bath easily won the men’s 100m backstroke race, turning in a time of 54.94 to signify the only sub-55 swimmer of the field. Although the time is well out of the world’s top 25, CWH’s Twitter account alluded to the fact that the 26-year-old is under heavy training with British Trials now just one month away.

Some really tough swimming this weekend, but good race practice, taper is just around the corner!!!! #swimming #taper #life

— Chris Walker-Hebborn (@WalkerHebborn) March 13, 2016

Additional Winners on the Day:

• Joeri Verlinden, the Netherlands, men’s 50m butterfly – 24.36
• Viktor Bromer, Denmark, men’s 200m butterfly – 1:57.64
• Ranomi Kromowidjojo, the Netherlands, women’s 200m freestyle – 1:59.18
• Stephen Milne, Perth City, men’s 200m freestyle – 1:47.87