2024 British Olympic Trials: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2024 Aquatics GB Swimming CHAMPIONSHIPS (OLYMPIC TRIALS)

• Tuesday, April 2nd – Sunday, April 7th
• Prelims at 10 am local (5 am EDT), Finals at 7 pm local (2 pm EDT)
• London Aquatics Centre
• LCM (50m)
• British Swimming Olympic Selection Policy
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview
• Entries
• Results
• Livestream: Channel 4 Youtube coverage
• Day 1 Live Recap

Heat Sheet

Order of Events

• Women’s 1500 Fastest Heat
• Men’s 200 Butterfly
• Women’s 200 Breaststroke
• Men’s 100 Backstroke
• Women’s 100 Backstroke

Hello, Governors. Day 2 of the Aquatics GB is about to kick off. It’s an interesting program as we start with the longest event on the program and get shorter as the evening wears on.

We start with the Women’s 1500 freestyle, where 14-year-old Amelie Blocksidge is the top seed. Last year, she won the British Championship, catapulting her into the spotlight. She will look to defend her title and swim under the self-imposed Aquatics GB Nomination Standard of 16:01.95. Next to her will be Fleur Lewis, who recently swam to a massive new PB in December and will look to replicate that success here, in London.

The men’s 200 Fly will showcase a number of new names as the event appears to be wide open for the taking. Leading the way is Thomas Beeley, who was the only swimmer to post a time under 2:00 this morning but has a way to go to surpass the standard of 1:54.97, a feat that only two other Brits have accomplished.

The Women’s 200 Breaststroke swiftly follows with Kara Hanlon, who finished 3rd in 2021, looking to make her first Olympic team. The Scot carries a personal best of 2:25.12, so will need to surpass that in order to go under the qualifying time.

We end the evening with the Men’s and Women’s 100 backstroke. Both events look to be a dogfight as the men’s event has suddenly become very competitive and the women’s event sees the return of the European record holder Kathleen Dawson.

Oliver Morgan leads the men with his 52.87 prelim swim, making him the second-fastest performer in the nation. Jonny Marshall, Matthew Ward, Luke Greenbank, and Brodie Williams will all look to improve this morning. Both Greenbank and Williams were 2021 Olympians and will look to return to their second games.

Dawson, who swam 59.81 this morning, will be flanked by Lauren Cox and Medi Harris tonight as the pair look to dethrone the Scot and claim their own individual tickets to Paris. Harris, who finished third in the 200 freestyle last night, has already been nominated to the team as part of the 4×200 free relay.

Women’s 1500 Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• World Record: 15:20.48 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2018)
• British Record: 15:47.26 – Jazmin Carlin (2013)
• 2021 Champion: Leah Crisp – 16:46.09
• Nomination Standard: 16:01.95
• OLY A/B Standards: 16:09.09/16:13.94

Top 8:

1. Amelie Blocksidge (Co Salford) – 16:13.39
2. Fleur Lewis (Lboro Uni) – 16:17.36
3. Lucie Hanquet (Lboro Uni) – 16:35.92
4. Michaella Glenister (Uni of Stirling) – 16:40.43
5. Ella Dyson (Wycombe Dist) – 16:46.97
6. Hollie Wilson (Co Leeds) – 16:47.93
7. Lucy Fox (Wycombe Dist) – 16:55.08
8. Amber Keegan (Co Sheffield) – 17:04.18

Amelie Blocksidge, who entered as the third-fastest performer in British history, wasted no time getting out to a lead. Per the Channel 4 live stream, Blocksidge at 14 was faster than Katie Ledecky was at the same age, so British swim fans have high hopes for her. At the 400 turn, the City of Salford swimmer was 4:17.34, opening a lead of 2.7 seconds over Fleur Lewis.  Blocksidge was 8:38.77 at the 800 turn, holding a lead of nearly five seconds over Lewis. When Blocksidge swam the PB of 16:10.04 in February, she was 8:38.87 at the 800.

Over the next few hundred meters, the youngster started to fall off her own pace, and Fleur Lewis pounced upon that. With 200 meters remaining, she closed the gap to within 4 seconds, but Blocksidge went to her legs and remained ahead of her opponent, hitting the wall in 16:13.39, ahead of Lewis’s 16:17.36.

Both times fall outside of the stiff nomination standard of 16:01.95, but Blocksidge’s time dips under the Olympic Consideration Time (B standard), so could, in theory, be selected to the team as a discretionary pick. Lewis, for her part, dropped nearly a second off of her time from December.

Men’s 200 Butterfly – Finals

• World Record: 1:50.34 – Kristof Mikak, Hungary (2022)
• British Record: 1:54.58 – Michael Rock (2009)
• 2021 Champion: James Guy – 1:55.20
• Nomination Standard: 1:54.97
• OLY A/B Standards: 1:55.78/1:56.36

Top 8:

1.  Joshua Gammon (Bath Univ) – 1:56.94
2. Thomas Beeley (UoAPS) – 1:59.65
3. Henry Gray (Chelsea&West) – 2:00.97
4. Andrew Bertoli (Uni of Stirling) – 2:01.26
5. Patrick Braddock (Swansea Uni) – 2:01.33
6. James Woodward (Hatfield) – 2:01.43
7. Rhys Edwards (Swansea Uni) – 2:001.72
8. Thomas Sansome (Lboro Uni) – 2:02.79

With all the swimmers more than four seconds away from the nomination standard time of 1:54.97, it seemed unlikely that anyone would make the Olympic team, but that did not stop these eight men from trying. Lane 5’s Joshua Gammon led out the top seed Thomas Beeley at the 100 mark, touching in 55.41, compared to Beeley’s 55.78.

Gammon used strong underwater to power away from Beeley, ultimately touching the wall in 1:56.94, lowering his personal best from 1:58.16 from last summer’s British Summer Championships. Beeley repeated getting under 2:00, hitting the wall in 1:59.65 to claim the silver medal. Lane 8 saw some outside smoke to take the bronze medal as Henry Gray touched in 2:00.97, dropping over a second from his morning swim.

No swimmer managed to surpass the 1:54.97 nor the Olympic Consideration time of 1:56.36, so it appears as if Great Britain won’t have a representative in this race.

Women’s 200 Breaststroke– Finals

• World Record: 2:17.55 – Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia (2023)
• British Record: 2:20.89 – Molly Renshaw (2021)
• 2021 Champion: Molly Renshaw – 2:20.89
• Nomination Standard: 2:23.04
• OLY A/B Standards: 2:23.91/2:24.63

Top 8:

1. Kara Hanlon (Edinburgh Uni) – 2:24.59
2. Elizabeth Booker (L’borogh PC) – 2:25.75
3. Gillian Kay Davey (Lboro Uni) – 2:26.25
4. Angharad Evans (Uni of Stirling) – 2:26.36
5. Anna Morgan (Edinburgh Uni) – 2:28.41
6. Charlotte Bianchi (Co Sheffield) – 2:28.47
7. Sienna Robinson (Lboro Uni) – 2:30.43
8. Leah Schlosshan (Co Leeds) – 2:30.46

Great Britain has a strong pedigree of 200 breaststroke at the Olympics as of late. Only Great Britain has put two swimmers into the finals over the last two cycles. Chloe Tutton and Molly Renshaw finaled in 2016, and Renshaw and Abbie Wood repeated the feat in 2021.

These ladies went at the race hard, with Angharad Evans taking out the race fast, touching first in 1:08.06, leading the field by over a full second. Kara Hanlon, however, took over on the back half of the race to take the win in 2:24.59. Hanlon, who has won gold at a British Swimming Championship in the 50 and 100 breaststroke, adds a gold to her collection in the 200, with a new personal best. Hanlon was just a little off the Scottish record of 2:24.04 and more than a second off the nomination standard.

Men’s 100 Backstroke – Finals

• World Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon, Italy (2022)
• British Record: 52.73 – Liam Tancock (2009)
• 2021 Champion: Joe Litchfield – 54.04
• Nomination Standard: 53.68
• OLY A/B Standards: 53.74/54.01

Top 8:

1. Oliver Morgan (Birmingham Uni) – 52.70 ***NEW National Record***
2. Jonny Marshall (Carnegie) – 53.03
3. Luke Greenbank (L’borogh PC) – 53.82
4. Matthew Ward (Bath PC) – 54.10
5. Brodie Williams (Bath PC) – 54.48
6. Jack Skerry (Bath PC) – 54.50
7. Jonathan Adam (Bath PC) – 54.88
8. Charlie Brown (L’Borogh PC) – 55.09

There was a bit of delay before the start of the Para-Final as a lane line had to be replaced. As coaches, this is why we tell our swimmers to go under them and not to sit on them, lest they get disqualified by falling into someone else’s lane.

William Ellard (S14) took the win in the Para Paris Final in 59.60 but it was Stephen Clegg in the S12 class who had the highest points total of 960 with his time of 1:00.83. Both Clegg and Ellard’s points total qualify them for nomination to the Para Team.

The delay only heightened the anticipation for the Men’s Paris Final, as multiple swimmers competed for the coveted top spot in the 100-meter backstroke. As a reminder, only the top swimmer is guaranteed a nomination, that is if they go under the nomination standard. While it seems likely that the team will take a backstroker for the Medley Relay, nothing is guaranteed.

Oliver Morgan had a .4 lead over Jonny Marshall at the 50, but the Florida Gator freshman used a strong turn to put pressure on Morgan. Morgan, however, showed his mettle and surged to the finish, taking the win in 52.70. With the win, Morgan erased the nearly 15-year-old National Record of 52.73 set by Liam Tancock in 2009 and, more importantly, booked himself a ticket to Paris.

Morgan wasn’t the only swimmer, however, to eclipse that nomination standard as Jonny Marshall hit the wall in 53.03. While not a guarantee, his time was .65 under the nomination standard and should catch the eye of the Performance Director and Head Coach. Luke Greenbank did well to grab third. The 200 specialist and 2021 Olympic medalist swam 53.82, his first time under 54 in over a year.

Women’s 100 Backstroke– Finals

• World Record: 57.33- Kaylee McKeown, Australia (2023)
• British Record: 58.08 – Kathleen Dawson (2021)
• 2021 Champion: Kathleen Dawson – 58.24
• Nomination Standard: 59.89
• OLY A/B Standards: 59.99/1:00.29

Top 8:

1. Kathleen Dawson (Uni of Stirling) – 59.74
2. Lauren Cox (Lboro Uni) – 1:00.13
3. Honey Osrin (Lboro Uni) – 1:00.58
4. Blythe Kinsman (Mt Kelly) – 1:00.73
5. Medi Harris (L’borough PC) – 1:00.86
6. Pia Murray (Leyland Barr) – 1:01.85
7. Holly McGill (Uni of Stirling) – 1:01.86
8. Alicia Wilson (Guildford Ct) – 1:02.39

Kathleen Dawson had speed to spend as she went out fast, flipping in 28.76 and leading the field. Dawson powered through the back half to take the win in 59.74, not only dropping .07 from this morning’s swim but also dipping under the Nomination Standard of 59.89, qualifying her for the Olympics again.

Dawson, the 2021 Olympic Gold medalist, has struggled of late, dealing with a back injury that has kept her out of major competition for a few years. Last summer, Dawson was 1:00.50 at their World Championship Trials and was as fast as 1:00.36 at the Doha World Championships showing that she is certainly on the comeback tour.

Lauren Cox, the 2023 Worlds bronze medalist in the 50 back, nabbed 2nd in 1:00.13, a little off her personal best of 59.60 from the 2024 Worlds. While her time tonight is over the nomination standard, she still could be selected, discretionarily, as the 59.60 from two months is under the Olympic Qualifying time (A-cut) and would allow Great Britain to send two representatives.

The 100 back seems to be where the British are currently thriving, as five swimmers had times fast enough to give them nominating times in the Para Paris Final. Alice Tai (S8) collected 1062 points with her 1:10.67, while Poppy Maskill was right behind at 1047 points, courtesy of her 1:04.78.