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 Selection Criteria
- Draft Entries
- Day 1 Recap
- Live Results
- Livestream
Day two of the 2023 British Swimming Championships saw another Scottish national record go down in the heats.
Archie Goodburn of Edinburgh notched a time of 27.19 to take the top seed in the men’s 50m breast. In the process, the 21-year-old overtook the longstanding Scottish national record of 27.25 Ross Murdoch put on the books at the 2016 European Championships.
Goodburn’s personal best entering this competition was represented by the 27.68 he produced at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. There in Birmingham, Goodburn placed 9th in the men’s 50m breast event with a semi-final effort of 27.72.
With his performance, Goodburn now ranks as the 3rd fastest British performer of all time.
Top 5 British Men’s LCM 50 Breaststroke Performers
- Adam Peaty – 25.95, 2017
- James Wilby – 27.16, 2022
- Archie Goodburn – 27.16, 2023
- Ross Murdoch – 27.25, 2016
- Lawrence Palmer – 27.31, 2018
Behind Goodburn this morning was the men’s 100m breast winner from day one James Wilby of Loughborough. Wilby clocked 27.69 while Greg Butler rounded out the top 3 performers in 27.76.
This is the same trio who landed on the men’s 100m breaststroke podium last night, with Butler snagging silver behind Wilby while Goodburn earned bronze.
The women’s 50m fly saw Derventio’s Sophie Yendell earn the top spot with a morning time of 26.39. That checks in as a new personal best, surpassing the 27.67 she put up at this same competition last year. Yendell now represents GBR’s 5th swiftest woman of all time.
Cardiff’s Harriet Jones (26.72) will flank Yendell for tonight’s final as will Manchester’s Jessica Calderbank (26.89).
Lauren Cox got her hand on the wall for the fastest time in the women’s 100m back field this morning. Cox scored lane four with her AM swim of 1:00.69.
Olympian Kathleen Dawson punched a time of 1:00.74 while Medi Harris will also be in the mix with her 3rd-seeded swim of 1:00.76.
The women will be chasing the stiff British Swimming-mandated World Championships qualification time of 58.95 this evening.
Of the field, only Dawson has ever dipped under the 59-second threshold, owning a lifetime best of 58.08 from the 2021 European Championships. Harris owns a PB of 59.24 while Cox has yet to break the minute barrier.
Oliver Morgan of Birmingham took the #1 seed in the men’s 100m back with a mark of 53.77.
Commonwealth Games 200m back champion Brodie Williams earned the 2nd seed in 54.51 with Jonathon Adam (54.53) and Olympic Games medalist Luke Greenbank (54.77) also among the top heats finishers.
Morgan’s time this morning ripped his previous personal best to shreds, getting into the 53-zone for the first time ever. Entering this competition his career-quickest was marked by the 54.70 he notched at the 2022 British Summer Championships.
However, splitting 25.84/27.93, Morgan’s 53.77 not only put himself in the pole position but now enters the all-time British performers’ list in the 5th slot.
All-Time British LCM 100 Backstroke Performers
- Liam Tancock – 52.73, 2009
- Christopher Walker-Hebborn – 52.88, 2015
- Luke Greenbank – 53.34, 2021
- Joe Litchfield – 53.75, 2021
- Oliver Morgan – 53.77, 2023
Additional Top Seeds
- Thomas Beeley clocked a time of 2:00.86 to lead the men’s 200m fly field.
- Lily Booker landed lane four for the women’s 200m breast with her time of 2:28.01. Newly-minted Scottish 50m breast record holder Kara Hanlon is lurking as the 4th seed with her time of 2:31.91. As a reminder, Abbie Wood opted out of this 2breast event.
This looks a rough session if you’re hoping for quick times: Mens 200fl without the five fastest British men from 2022 competing, 200 breast without the two fastest women from 2022, Dawson returning from serious injury in the 100 back, 50 fly just lacking any top table talent. Here’s hoping we get some good racing and plenty of PBs to make up for it.
big swim for Morgan could be the next 100 backstroker for Britain now and could be a big impact for the medley relay.
Backstroke spot on the medley doesn’t matter nearly as much w/o Peaty.
Excellent swim from Morgan, and great work by Birmingham University coaches.
He looked good on the stream, and could drop close to the CT if his heat to final progress yesterday is anything to go by. An exciting prospect into Paris and encouraging to see another young athlete break into new territory.
Morgan looked good in M100BK heats. Nobody’s going to be within the same postcode as the QT and the CT of 53.32 in itself is tough but British Swimming would actually be happy with someone getting below 53.5. No one else looked anything special.
Likewise, on the evidence of the heats, I can’t see the QT being threatened in W100BK but the CT of 59.65 looks doable for Dawson and/or Harris.
With Renshaw now retired and Wood opting out of the event; both the QT & CT for the W200BRS are highly unrealistic. Maybe 1-2 of the 2.28s from heats could get down around 2.25-2.26 but anything faster would be a surprise
I see Morgan taking chunks from his morning PB swim
I think Morgan could dip under the 53.32 CT, will be a heck of a swim if he manages it!
Certainly not out of the question as he’s clearly on some good form given his 50 and this near 1sec PB. Can definitely see him dropping a few more tenths ….. another near half second ?? It would, as you aptly describe, be a heck of a swim if he does !
I’d be pleasantly surprised if Morgan hits the CT tonight, but he’s an interesting name moving forward. A real unknown quantity – Few recorded swims on the database before University, which he entered with PBs of 27.6 & 59.1, then nothing but rapid progress since, dropping to 56.9 in 2021 before 54.7 in 2022 and now 53.7 so far in 2023.
He said in his interview yesterday after the 50 that he only started training properly around 18 months ago when he started Uni which explains the significant time drops. Very exciting future for sure.
Oliver Morgan topped the 100m back in 53.71, a lifetime best time
53.77*