2022 BRITISH SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, April 5th – Sunday, April 10th
- Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield
- LCM (50m)
- World Championships & Commonwealth Games-qualifying competition
- British Swimming 2022 Budapest Selection Policy
- Commonwealth Games Selection Policies vary by home nation
- SwimSwam Preview
- Draft Entries
- Live Results
- Livestream
- Day 1 Finals Heat Sheet
The opening night of finals from the 2022 British Swimming Championships in Sheffield will feature six different events, four of which have World Championship qualifying implications.
The women’s 200 free and 400 IM, plus the men’s 400 free and 100 breast, will have Budapest spots on the line, with the majority of the country’s top athletes in attendance.
Some names have been pre-selected to compete at the World Championships by virtue of their performances at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. They are as follows:
- Kathleen Dawson – womens’ 100 back
- Tom Dean – men’s 200 free
- Luke Greenbank – men’s 200 back
- Daniel Jervis – men’s 1500 free
- Max Litchfield – men’s 400 IM
- Adam Peaty – men’s 100 breast
- Ben Proud – men’s 50 free
- Molly Renshaw – women’s 200 breast
- Duncan Scott – men’s 200 free & 200 IM
- James Wilby – men’s 100 & 200 breast
- Abbie Wood – women’s 200 IM
Additionally, James Guy, Anna Hopkin and Matt Richards will all earn a spot at Worlds due to the fact that they swam on in a relay final that won a medal in Tokyo.
Women’s 50 Breast Final
- British Record: 30.04, Imogen Clark, 2018
- Imogen Clark (Derventio), 30.10
- Sarah Vasey (Loughboro NC), 31.02
- Kara Hanlon (Edinburgh Un), 31.13
22-year-old Imogen Clark took a serious run at her British Record in the final of the women’s 50 breaststroke, blasting her way to a time of 30.10 to clear the field by almost a full second.
Clark’s time falls just six one-hundredths shy of her National Record of 30.04, set at the 2018 Euros, and vaults her into #3 in the world for the 2021-22 season.
Loughborough’s Sarah Vasey, who set a best time of 30.23 en route to placing fourth in this event at the 2021 European Championships, took second in 31.02, while Edinburgh’s Kara Hanlon rounded out the podium in 31.13.
Hanlon lowers her PB for the second time today, having first brought it down from 31.42 to 31.34 in the preliminaries.
Men’s 50 Back Final
- British Record: 24.04, Liam Tancock, 2009
- Sebastian Somerset (Loughboro Un), 25.30
- Scott Gibson (Edinburgh Un), 25.45
- Liam White (Swansea Uni), 25.46
Canadian native Sebastian Somerset pulled out the victory in the men’s 50 backstroke in a time of 25.30, re-lowering his personal best of 25.65 set in the heats.
Somerset is currently attending Loughborough University, and his PB coming into the meet was 25.96 from the 2019 Canadian World Trials.
Edinburgh University’s Scott Gibson, who set a new Scottish Record of 25.38 in the heats, was the runner-up in 25.45, while the Swansea duo of Liam White (25.46) and Joe Small (25.48) took third and fourth.
Women’s 200 Free Final
- British Record: 1:55.54, Joanne Jackson, 2009
- Worlds Consideration: 1:56.28
- Abbie Wood (Loughboro NC), 1:57.61
- Freya Anderson (Bath NC), 1:57.63
- Freya Colbert (Nova Cent’n), 1:57.90
In a replay of the 2021 Olympic Trials, Abbie Wood and Freya Anderson went head-to-head in the women’s 200 free final and were separated by mere hundredths at each wall leading into the final 50.
With Wood leading by .04 at the 150, the two produced near-identical final splits as Wood held off Anderson, 1:57.61 to 1:57.63, to book a win in the event.
At last year’s selection meet, the two were right together through the 150 before Anderson pulled away and earned the win.
Wood, who set a best time of 1:57.48 in that meet last year, is already pre-selected for Worlds in the 200 IM. Anderson has been as fast as 1:56.06, done back in January 2020, but wasn’t able to hit the minimum Worlds qualifying time of 1:56.28 here.
18-year-old Freya Colbert, who came in with a best time of 2:00.90, had a massive swim in 1:57.90 to take third, as she was right with Wood and Anderson throughout the whole race.
Top 3 Splits:
Colbert was a finalist in the 400 IM at the 2021 European Junior Championships, an event she will swim in the ‘A’ final of later in this session.
Medi Harris (1:59.44) and Tamryn Van Selm (1:59.80) made it five women sub-2:00 in the ‘A’ final.
By finishing in the top four, Anderson, Colbert and Harris will be considered for the team in the 4×200 free relay. The British qualifying criteria notes that finishing in the top four of the 100 and 200 free does not earn an athlete automatic qualification.
University of Stirling’s Lucy Hope, a 2020 Olympian, won the ‘B’ final in 1:59.70, well under what it took to make the ‘A’ final this morning (2:01.08). Hope swam a best of 1:57.65 at the 2021 British Trials to take third.
Men’s 400 Free Final
- British Record: 3:43.75, James Guy, 2015
- Worlds Consideration: 3:46.34
- Daniel Jervis (Swansea Uni), 3:46.44
- Luke Turley (Bath NC), 3:48.52
- Kieran Bird (Bath NC), 3:48.58
Swansea University’s Daniel Jervis put himself in position to take a run at the Worlds consideration time in the men’s 400 freestyle, getting out to a quick opening 200 of 1:51.87.
With 50 meters to go, Jervis needed to split 28.28 or better to hit the qualifying time of 3:46.34, and he fell just shy by a tenth, splitting 28.38 to record a final time of 3:46.44.
Despite missing the cut, Jervis’ swim does mark a massive new personal best, lowering his previous PB of 3:47.57, and he’s already been pre-selected for the Worlds team by virtue of his fifth-place finish in the 1500 free at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Kieran Bird of the Bath National Centre won this event at the 2021 Olympic Trials, hitting a lifetime best time of 3:46.00, but tonight it was his teammate Luke Turley who edged him out for second.
Turley was ahead of Bird by about six-tenths at the halfway mark and it stayed that way until the closing 50, as Bird made a late charge but ran out of room. Turley established a new best of 3:48.52, while Bird nearly matched his time from the Olympics (3:48.55) to take third in 3:48.55.
Women’s 400 IM
- British Record: 4:31.33, Hannah Miley, 2009
- Worlds Consideration: 4:37.96
- Freya Colbert (Nova Cent’n), 4:41.27
- Lily Booker (Loughboro NC), 4:43.96
- Katie Shanahan (Co Glasgow), 4:44.01
Fresh off a breakout third-place finish in the 200 free, Nova Centurions swimmer Freya Colbert emerged with a dominant victory in the women’s 400 IM final, dropping over two seconds in a time of 4:41.27.
Colbert opened up a big lead on the backstroke leg, splitting 1:10.94, and held that advantage the rest of the way to dip well under her previous PB of 4:43.54 set at the 2019 European Juniors.
In the battle for second, Loughboro NC’s Lily Booker dropped Glasgow’s Katie Shanahan on the second 50 of breaststroke and held her off on free, clocking 4:43.96 to fall just over a half-second short of her best set at the 2021 Olympic Trials (4:43.40) where she was also second.
Shanahan, who set her lifetime best of 4:42.59 en route to winning the 2021 European Junior title, made up by over a second on Booker on the freestyle portion but ran out of pool, touching third in 4:44.01.
City of Sheffield’s Amber Keegan, the top seed out of the heats in 4:48.04, fell off the pace on breaststroke and finished fourth in 4:47.54.
City of Sheffield’s Phoebe Cooper, born in 2008 (turning 14 this year) dropped a huge best time of 4:54.23 to touch first in the ‘Priority Paris’ final, more than nine seconds faster than she was in the heats (5:03.35).
Men’s 100 Breast Final
- British Record: 56.88, Adam Peaty, 2019
- Worlds Consideration: 59.44
- Adam Peaty (Loughboro NC), 58.58
- James Wilby (Loughboro NC), 59.17
- Gregory Butler (Loughboro NC), 1:00.04
Reigning two-time Olympic champion and world record holder Adam Peaty put up his first 58-second swim of the year in the men’s 100 breast final, clocking 58.58 to move into #2 in the world for the year.
Peaty’s Splits:
- 27.18
- 31.40
Peaty clocked 59.83 last month in return to competition at the FFN Golden Tour in Marseille, and he was also 59.58 in this morning’s prelims.
The 27-year-old trails only Dutchman Arno Kamminga, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic runner-up, in the 2022 world rankings.
2021-2022 LCM Men 100 Breast
Martinenghi
58.26
| 2 | Nic Fink | USA | 58.37 | 04/29 |
| 3 | Michael Andrew | USA | 58.51 | 04/29 |
| 4 | Arno Kamminga | NED | 58.52 | 02/20 |
| 5 | Adam Peaty | GBR | 58.58 | 04/05 |
According to swimrankings, this was Peaty’s 35th-fastest 100 breast ever.
Peaty’s Loughborough teammate James Wilby, who was fifth in the 2021 Olympic final and owns a PB of 58.46 from 2019, swam his fastest time since Tokyo in 59.17, ranking him fifth in the world this season. Like Peaty, Wilby had already solidified his World Championship spot by virtue of his Tokyo performances.
Making it a Loughborough sweep was Gregory Butler, who hit a best time of 1:00.04 to snag third place. Butler’s previous best stood at 1:00.61.
Greenbank missed the 100 back final going 55.37
Scottish boys all making that CT for 100 Breast! U of E have stepped up on day 1. Great job.
If someone finishes first but misses the qualifying time, and they make the team in a different event, can they swim it at worlds? Like could Jervis swim the 400 since he’s already on the team for the 1500?
yes
Sebastian Somerset just swam at NCAA’s, he attends UC Berkeley not loughboro….
literally was thinking “swear to god I saw his name at NCAAs”
The 27-year-old trails only Dutchman Arno Kamminga, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic runner-up, in the 2022 world rankings.
Peaty’s Loughborough teammate James Wilby, who was fifth in the 2021 Olympic final
Was it the 2020 olympics or 2021 olympics? Or are you referring to it by name in the first and by date in the second and there is egg on my face?
Basically the egg one
Boi you understand what else do you want
Did the commentator really just suggest that less than 5 men have gone faster than 58.58?
9
9 men have gone 58.58 or faster.
Man hit us with the edit lol
9 including Peaty.
8 have so not too far wrong
Brenton Rickard, Kitajima, Cam VdB… I’m guessing Shymanovich has? Who else?
Kamminga, Andrew, Martinenghi, Shymanovich, Wilby, Fink.
Kitajima has never been under 58.58.
Rickard and VDB are correct.
I didn’t hear the comment but he may be referencing the 2022 year (since January).
I know 7 men went 58.5 or faster last season alone (Olympic year)
British Rowdy!
God, what an animal.
Flagged Phoebe Cooper (2008) up on here 6 months or so ago, keep a close eye on her, her versatility is brilliant. 50fr, 50fl, 100br, 200/400im, 100bk – She does them all.
Very impressive and in the year she turns 14. Can someone help explain what a Priority Paris final is, I assume it’s better than Junior with Junior restricted to u18? Is there any special criteria for PP or is it another name for C final?
Trying to learn a bit more about swimming.
It’s essentially part of the programme to give development swimmers an evening swim. Backing up a fast morning swim isn’t as easy as is assumed, so you want to get swimmers used to it. It’s not uncommon to see swimmers hit huge PBs to make semis come worlds/Olympics, then bomb out because they just aren’t used to backing up.
A friend with no swimming knowledge knows Phoebe through other things and told me excitedly how great a swimmer she was for her age about 3 years ago. I nodded politely as you do thinking “she’s probably a decent club swimmer”. Turns out I’m the fool now!