With the British Championships, doubling as the nation’s Olympic Trials, having wrapped up last week while the British Para International Meet is now underway, another meet with key athletes took place under the radar.
The 2016 National Arena Swimming League Cup Final concluded today, which represents the final stage of a series of meets throughout the winter and spring. Approximately 400 teams participate in the 4 rounds which take place in October, November and December and April, with April’s acting as the overall championship final.
Yesterday represented the B Final of the League Cup while the top finalists competed today. Among them were 2016 British National Champions James Guy, Ben Proud, and Chloe Tutton.
On a club level, Guildford City took the overall title with a total of 3722 points, followed closely by Plymouth Leander in 3713. Millfield School rounded out the top 3 with a total of 3424 points. This is Guildford City’s first League Cup title in the history of the event. Plymouth Leander has had the most recent winning streak, collecting the Cup title in 2008-2010, then again in 2012-2015.
Although the elite athletes of the meet scored wins, their performances overall were at a level one would expect having just come off their biggest meet leading up to the Olympics, the aforementioned Trials in Glasgow. Nevertheless, double national title-winner Guy came away with 2 individual wins, taking the men’s 100m freestyle (50.16) and 100m butterfly (53.62).
Plymouth Leander sprinter Proud wound up in second place behind Guy in that 100m free (50.51), while teammate Laura Stephens earned the victory in the women’s 100m butterfly (1:00.23).
19-year old Tutton, fresh off her 200m breaststroke title from Glasgow, collected the win today in both the women’s 200 IM and 100m breaststroke events, registering times of 2:15.35 and 1:09.02, respectively.