2023 British Champs: Day 5 Finals Live Recap

2023 BRITISH SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, April 4th – Sunday, April 9th
• Prelims at 9:30 am local (4:30 am EDT)/Finals at 6:00 pm local (1:00 pm EDT)
• Ponds Forge, Sheffield
• LCM (50m)
• World Championships Qualifier
• World Championships Original Selection Criteria
• Revised Selection Criteria
• Draft Entries
• Day 1 Finals Recap/Day 2 Finals Recap/Day 3 Finals Recap/Day 4 Finals Recap
• Live Results
• Livestream

As we enter the fifth finals session at the 2023 British Swimming Championships, only three swimmers have qualified individually for the World Championships later this year. Spots will be on the line again tonight in the men’s 800 free, 50 free, and 200 IM, and the women’s 400 free and 200 IM.

Ben Proud will be the favorite in the men’s 50 freestyle as the British record-holder. He swam the third-fastest time in the prelims with a 22.33 and will face Lewis Burras (21.95), Matthew Richards (22.21), and others.

In the 200 IM, Olympians Abbie Wood, Duncan Scott, and Tom Dean will lead the fields and all attempt to notch World Champs qualifying times.

Men’s 800 Freestyle

• British Record: 7:44.32 – David Davies (2009)
• World Championships Qualification Cut: 7:45.32

1. Daniel Jervis – 7:47.81
2. Luke Turley – 7:52.10
3. Tobias Robinson – 7:56.86

1500 freestyle champion Daniel Jervis spent the first half of the race establishing as much distance between himself and the rest of the field. At the 400-meter mark, Jervis split a 3:51.98, flipping almost four seconds ahead of the #2 man Luke Turley (3:55.33). Jervis maintained his lead until the end of the race and wound up stopping the clock in a 7:47.81. Jervis missed the British Qualification cut of 7:45.32 but cleared the FINA A cut of 7:53.11.

As Jervis already qualified for the World Championships in the 1500 freestyle, he will likely get the chance to race the 800 free in Fukuoka. Jervis swam a 7:50.55 at the 2022 World Championships for 10th overall. His best time in the event heading into this meet was a 7:49.05 from 2020.

Turley managed to undercut the FINA A cut as well but missed British swimming’s consideration cut of 7:49.07, swimming a 7:52.10 to claim the silver medal. His lifetime best was a 7:54.27 before this swim, which he hit at British Trials in 2021. Tobias Robinson rounded out the podium with a 7:56.86.

Women’s 50 Backstroke

• British Record: 27.19 – Kathleen Dawson

1. Lauren Cox – 27.81
2. Medi Harris – 27.86
3. Blythe Kinsman – 28.32

Lauren Cox and Medi Harris battled it out in the women’s 50 backstroke final, each cracking 28 seconds to claim the top two spots. Cox dropped nearly a second from her prelims time of 28.63 to touch the wall first and Medi Harris, who was the top seed out of prelims (28.27) came in just 0.05 seconds later with a 27.86.

Cox has already been under 28 seconds in this event and was a bit over her personal best of 27.61, which she swam at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Cox and Harris also had similar times at the Commonwealth last year as Harris swam to a 5th place finish in the final with a 27.62 while Cox’s time made her 4th.

Blythe Kinsman did swim a best time here as she swam a 28.32 for the bronze medal, improving upon her morning swim and PB of 28.74. That time for Kinsman is a new British Age Record. Heading into the meet she held a 29.34 from last year’s British Championships. British record-holder in this event Kathleen Dawson was more than a second off her 27.19 NR, swimming a 28.34 for 4th place in this final.

Men’s 50 Freestyle

• British Record: 21.11 – Ben Proud (2018)
• World Championships Qualification Cut: 21.57

1. Ben Proud – 21.71
2. Lewis Burras – 21.92
3. Matt Richards – 21.98

The fastest man in British history got the job done in the 50 freestyle, hitting the wall with a 21.71 for the gold medal. Ben Proud has been as fast as a 21.11 in this event, having set the British record back in 2018. Proud was the third seed out of prelims, having swum a 22.33.

The top seed in the A final was Lewis Burras who won the 100 freestyle earlier this week with a 47.99. Burras went from a 22.21 during heats to a 21.92 for the silver medal in the final, taking the silver medal. Burras swam under 22 seconds in this event 10 times in 2022 and holds a best time of 21.68 from the 2022 Commonwealth Games where he took silver and shared the podium with gold medalist Ben Proud.

Neither Proud nor Burras swam under the 21.57 qualification cut here, meaning that they will rely on the discretionary selections to get onto the team here. Ben Proud is the reigning world champion in this event.

Coming into the wall with a 21.98, Matt Richards cracked 22 seconds for the first time and set a new Welsh record. The former mark was also Richards’ and stood at a 22.38 from the 2022 European Championships. Alexander Cohoon swam a 22.10 to place fourth in this final and Thomas Carswell notched a 22.41 for fifth.

Women’s 400 Freestyle

• British Record: Joanne Jackson – 4:00.60
• World Championships Qualification Cut: 4:02.16

1. Freya Colbert – 4:06.80
2. Leah Crisp – 4:12.85
3. Shannon Stott – 4:13.87

With a win in the women’s 400 freestyle, Freya Colbert has won both races of that distance at this meet, following her 400 IM victory on day one. Colbert swam a 4:06.80 to win the event by more than six seconds. This swim for Colbert was a two-second improvement from her performance last year at the 2022 British Championships when she swam a 4:09.04 to take silver behan Freya Anderson (4:08.46).

Colbert hit the World Champs cut in the 400 IM to earn a spot on the team and while she was over the 4:02.16 standard in the 400 freestyle, her 4:06.80 is likely enough to add this event to her lineup.

Colbert was followed by Leah Crisp who notched a 4:12.85 for the silver medal, jumping up one spot from her third seed out of prelims, where she posted a 4:15.71. Shannon Stott was #2 in the heats with her time of 4:15.39 and she placed third overall in the final with a 4:13.87.

Michaella Glenister posted a 4:14.56 for fourth place and Amelie Blocksidge came in with a 4:14.74 for fifth, setting a new British age record. The former record was her own time of 4:15.06 from earlier this year.

Men’s 200 IM

• British Record: 1:55.28 – Duncan Scott (2021)
• World Championships Qualification Cut: 1:56.22

1. Tom Dean – 1:56.65
2. Duncan Scott – 1:56.72
3. Mark Szaranek – 2:00.59

This was bound to be a tight race considering that the British record holder Duncan Scott and Tom Dean would be swimming in the middle of the pool. Scott and Dean were neck-and-neck for the entire race and ultimately touched just 0.07 seconds apart in the 200 IM.

Dean won the event in a 1:56.65, missing the World Championships cut by 0.43 seconds, while Scott posted a 1:56.72. These swims were faster than Michael Andrew‘s 5th place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic final, but they weren’t fast enough to automatically get Scott and Dean a spot on the 2023 World Champs team.

Scott’s best time in this event is the national record of 1:55.28 he swam at the Tokyo Games for a silver medal and Dean’s best before this race was a 1:56.77. They will likely both get nominated to the team via the discretionary selection process that will occur after the meet.

Following the leading duo, Mark Szaranek delivered a 2:00.59 for bronze and George Smith followed with a 2:01.52 for fourth place in the final.

Women’s 200 IM

• British Record: 2:06.88 – Siobhan-Marie O’Connor
• World Championships Qualification Cut: 2:10.22

1. Katie Shanahan – 2:09.40
2. Abbie Wood – 2:09.46
3. Leah Schlosshan – 2:11.72

For the first time at this meet, two swimmers in a single event have swum under the World Championships cut set forth by British Swimming. The difficult standards have evaded almost every swimmer present at this meet, but Katie Shanahan and Abbie Wood were an exception to that trend with their performances in the 200 IM.

The 2:09.40 that Shanahan used to win gold in this event is more than two seconds faster than her former best time of 2:11.84, which she swam at the 2022 European Championships. Wood was a little bit over her lifetime best here, having swum a 2:09.15 while representing Great Britain at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Wood also swam the 200 IM last year at the World Championships where she placed 12th in the semi-finals with a 2:11.31.

Wood was the only representative for Great Britain at Budapest 2022 but this year they will likely have two entrants in the event.

Leah Schlosshan pulled off a 2:11.72 to drop some time from her 2:13.17 morning swim. Schlosshan’s PB in the 200 IM before this meet was a 2:13.49.