Ben Proud had a great 2013 season, breaking Mark Foster‘s long standing British record in the 50 butterfly as well as qualifying for his first senior national team, swimming both the 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle at the World Championships in Barcelona.
Proud has started off the 2014 season with a strong performance at the 2014 British Universities and Colleges Long Course Championships winning the 50 freestyle in a time of 22.35. The University of St. Mark and St. John swimmer’s winning time was not his best performance of the day, he recorded a time of 22.27 in the heats, only 26 one-hundredths of a second off his life-time best of 22.01.
His time from the preliminaries puts him sixth in the current world rankings.
Less then a month ago Aimee Willmott posted lifetime best of 2:10.87 in the 200 IM to out touch World Champion Katinka Hosszu by a tenth of a second for the win at the Flanders Cup, today she took home victories at the BUCS. Willmott, who represents, Teeside won the 200 backstroke in a time of 2:12.99 and followed that up with a victory in the 200 breaststroke posting a time of 2:30.65.
Andrew Willis of Bath took the 200 breaststroke in a time of 2:12.02. Willis, who finished fourth in the 200 breaststroke at the World Championships, dominated the event, winning by more than two seconds. His winning time puts him fourth in the current world rankings.
Rebecca Turner took the women’s 200 freestyle winning the event in a time of 1:59.06 beating here Sheff Hallam teammate Ellie Faulkner, who finished in a time of 1:59.96. Ieuan Lloyd of Cardiff Metropolitan University squeaked out a win in the men’s 200 freestyle posting a time of 1:50.21 only 21 one-hundredths of a second ahead of Stirling’s Joshua Walsh, who touched in a time of 1:50.42.
Charolette Reid of Birmingham won the women’s 50 backstroke in a time of 30.42, one one-hundredth of a second ahead of Loughborough’s Victoria Hevey, who finished in a time of 30.43. Joe Elwood of Loughborough won the men’s event in a time of 26.05.
Kathryn Johnstone of Heriot-Watt took the women’s 50 breaststroke in a time of 31.88. Andrew Weatheritt of Loughborough and Chris Steeples of Manchester Metropolitan University tied for the win in the men’s event both hitting the wall in a time of 28.16.
Alys Thomas of Swansea won the women’s 100 butterfly in a time of 1:00.66 while Loughborough’s Adam Barrett won the men’s event in a time of 53.67.
Johnathan Carlisle of Sunderland won the men’s 200 backstroke in a time of 2:01.35.
Rebecca Guy of Manchester took the women’s 50 freestyle recording a time of 25.36.
The three teams in the point standings after the second day were:
- Loughborough – 153 points
- Bath – 125 points
- Swansea – 97 points
Full results can be found here
Proud is one to watch aiming Rio 2016.In the last two Olympics, the winners in 50 free were very young(21years-old).
I agree. If he keeps up, Proud could be a finalist in 50 free Rio. He seems really excel in 50s (free and fly)