Scott Scores 100 Fly/200 IM Double, Peaty Powers To 50 Breast Win At McCullagh

MCCULLAGH INTERNATIONAL OPEN MEET 2020

• February 20th-23rd
• Bangor Aurora Leisure Complex, Northern Ireland
• 50m (LCM)
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Olympic champion Adam Peaty was back in the water on this final day of the 2020 McCullagh International, taking the men’s 50m breaststroke event with ease. The Loughborough man set himself apart from the field in last night’s prelims by clocking the world’s 2nd fastest time of the season, a 26.83 to land the middle lane.

Tonight he was a hair slower in 27.01, but that was still enough to keep a safe distance from runner-up Ross Murdoch of Stirling who touched in 27.48. The reigning 200m breast Commonwealth Games champion James Wilby rounded out the top 3 in 27.72.

On the women’s side, Sarah Vasey surged to the wall first, grabbing gold in a time of 31.12. Runner-up status went to Irish national record older Mona McSharry who produced 31.66. Molly Renshaw clocked 32.57 for bronze.

McSharry’s lifetime best sits at the national standard of 30.87 she registered 2 years ago at the Edinburgh International, while Vasey is Great Britain’s 2nd fastest performer all-time, owning a PB of 30.30 from 2017.

McSharry was just coming off of the women’s 50m freestyle, the 2nd event of the evening here. In that race, 21-year-old Larne swimmer Danielle Hill followed up her newly-minted 100m backstroke national record with a strong performance in this women’s 50m free.

After handily establishing herself as the top-seeded swimmer over McSharry, snagging 25.29 to the latter’s 25.83, Hill powered her way to gold in 25.29. That ties Hill’s own Irish national record, one of several, she set at the 2019 Irish Summer Championships.

Luke Greenbank registered a winning effort of 1:57.51 to take the men’s 200m backstroke with ease. He had taken the pole position last night by over 6 seconds ahead of the rest of the field and during this morning’s final the World Championships bronze medalist still hit the only time under 2:00.

Silver went to Larne’s Conor Ferguson who touched in 2:01.59, with the 21-year-old knocking 3 seconds off of his prelims effort. Behind him was Sean Scannell who punched a bronze-worthy 2:04.20.

Going back to Greenbank, his 1:57.51 this morning outperformed the 1:58.46 effort he logged for gold at last week’s BUCS Long Course Championships. As such, the 22-year-old rockets up from 18th in the world to now #10 among the season’s top performers.

22-year-old Duncan Scott kept his two top seeds from last night’s prelims, doubling up on gold in the 100m fly and 200m IM this morning.

The Olympian stopped the clock in a time fo 52.84 to take the men’s 100m fly, registering the 3rd fastest time of his career in the process. He holds a PB of 52.25, a mark which renders the Stirling athlete as the 6th fastest Brit all-time.

Also impressive in that fly race was 17-year-old Edward Mildred, the Northampton teen who had never before under 54 seconds. This morning he earned silver in 53.04 to obliterate both the 54.22 previous PB from just January of this year, but also his 53.83 heats swim from last night.

With his performance, Mildred now checks-in as the 2nd fastest 17-year-old ever for Great Britain, sitting only behind the age record holder Jacob Peters who set the mark at 52.92 at 2017’s Swim England Winter Championships.

Of note, Irishman Shane Ryan was the runner-up seed from last night’s 100m fly prelim but bowed out of the final.

Scott was back in action minutes later in the 200m IM, with the man getting gold in 2:00.05. That just edged out runner-up Joe Litchfield of Loughborough, who finished in 2:00.33. Former Florida Gator Mark Szaranek was also in the mix with a time of 2:04.16 for bronze, although he was much quicker in 2:02.91 last night, though.

Versatile Scott is GBR’s 2nd fastest performer in this 200m IM event after registering a monster 1:56.65 at last year’s British Championships. That time fell just .01 shy of Max Litchfield’s 1:56.64 national record that’s been on teh booiks since 2017.

Scott wound up 5th in Gwangju at last year’s World Championships, producing another head-turning effort of 1:56.91.

The Olympic silver medalist in the women’s 200m IM, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, was in the water contesting that event this morning but fell just short of victory.

Last week’s BUCS double-IM winner Abbie Wood sneaked in for gold here, touching in 2:12.45 to O’Connor’s 2:12.83. 3-time Olympian Hannah Miley rounded out the top 3 in 2:15.76.

Aimee Willmott, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion in the 400m IM, actually snared the top seed in last night’s prelim in 2:12.77 before opting out of this moring’s final.

In her stead, Wood made good on her BUCS performance of 2:11.77 with her 2:12.45 here falling within a second. The International Swimming League (ISL) NY Breaker owns a lifetime best of 2:11.65, a time put up at the 2019 British Championships, rendering her as the 6th performer all-time.

Additional Winners:

• Calum Bain followed up on his top seed from last night’s 50m free prelims into this morning’s finals, stopping the clock in 22.88 for gold.
• The women’s 200m backstroke saw 15-year-old Katie Shanahan get to the wall first, with the Glasgow swimmer posting a time of 2:14.06. That set her apart from the rest of the field by over 2 seconds.
• After posting a night swim of 58.84 to take the women’s 100m fly top seed, 30-year-old Swansea star Alys Thomas finished in a time of 59.23 to take gold. Charlotte Atkinson was also under a minute, touching in 59.36 after registering 59.06 last night.
• 23-year-old Daniel Jervis represented the only swimmer under 3:50 in the men’s 400 free, with the swimmer posting a time of 3:49.98.
• Ards swimmer Amelia Kane got to the wall first for the women’s edition fo the 400m free, clocking 4:23.54.