THREE SWIMMERS QUALIFY AS RECORDS FALL
Three swimmers qualified for the FINA World Championships
in Montreal this summer and five home nation records fell
on day two of the ASDA British Swimming World Championship
Trials in Manchester.
World Champion James Gibson was first to qualify, in the
50m breaststroke, with a time of 28.02 seconds. The gold medallist
was just four hundredths of a second within the qualification
standard and was delighted to secure his place on the squad
at his first opportunity.
"That was a pressure release swim for me," he said.
"I'm on the team now and I'm not going there to make
up the numbers.
"I now have a real focus for the first time since the
Olympics which gives me something to drive towards. I have
three more months as World Champion and I'll go to Montreal
to try and continue that."
University of Bath's Darren Mew touched in second in 28.18
seconds and Chris Cook of City of Newcastle was bronze medallist
in 28.32 seconds.
Scotland's Kirsty Balfour (City of Edinburgh) was the first
female swimmer to make the grade as she qualified for the
World Championships in the 100m breaststroke, setting a new
Scottish record of 1:08.66 seconds in the process.
"It really inspired me watching Kate set a new British
record yesterday," she said. "But I was determined
to stick with her for as long as I could tonight.
"I turned smoothly and the first few strokes felt great.
I thought I could catch her and go past her, but to qualify
in my weaker event was a real surprise."
There was disappointment for Loughborough University's Kate
Haywood who failed to match her British record-breaking performance
of the semi-finals and finished in second with a time of 1:09.27
seconds. City of Coventry's Grace Callaghan took bronze in
1:11.26 seconds.
James Goddard (Stockport) matched Gregor Tait's British record
of 54.90 seconds to ensure gold and qualification in the 100m
backstroke. Loughborough University's Liam Tancock qualified
for the World University Games and silver in 55.21 seconds
and Gregor Tait took bronze in 55.59 seconds.
"It was a hard Olympic Games for me as I just missed
out on a bronze medal, but to come here, equal the British
record and qualify for the Worlds is helping me to recover,"
said Goddard.
"I've lost some of my training buddies - Steve Parry,
Graeme Smith and Adrian Turner - but preparation has gone
well and to do it in the 100m event is a big surprise. It
now takes the pressure off the 200m later in the meet.
"My coach Sean Kelly has always said I could swim a
faster 100m and if we continue like this there's every chance
I could medal in Montreal."
Two records fell in the women's 400m individual medley as
Rebecca Cooke (City of Glasgow) swam a personal best time
of 4:46.54 seconds to set a new British record and win gold
for the third year running. Montreal qualification was out
of reach, however, as the swimmer needed to knock a further
four seconds off her lifetime best to gain selection.
"I'm delighted with that," she said. "It shows
I'm back on target, back to where I was before the Olympics.
The 400m IM is going well for me now. It used to be my fun
event but through success I've started to take it seriously."
Both runners up qualified for the European Junior Championships
with University of Bath's Stacey Tadd taking silver in 4:49.88
seconds and Cooke's club mate Hannah Miley setting a new Scottish
record and finishing in bronze position in 4:51.21 seconds.
In the final race of her swimming career, double Commonwealth
Champion Sarah Price (Loughborough University) took silver
in the 100m backstroke behind up-and-coming talent Gemma Spofforth
(Portsmouth Northsea) who finished in 1:02.29 seconds, more
than a second outside the qualifying time for the World Championships
in July.
Price finished in 1:02.55 while Lincoln Vulcans youngster
Lizzie Simmonds took bronze with a time of 1:03.43 seconds,
which easily qualifies her for the European Youth Olympic
Festival in Italy later this year.
World Championship Qualification prospects were also bleak
in the men's 50m butterfly, where European Short Course Champion
Mark Foster (University of Bath) was lead swimmer but missed
out on qualification by almost a second with a time of 24.72
seconds.
"I've been in Miami training getting back into things,"
he said. "Normally I start the season with a 24.6 secs
and if I'd finished properly tonight that's what it would
have been.
"I'm basically where I should be. I didn't come here
thinking I'd qualify - I was looking to the stage 3 meet in
June, so I'm happy with my progress."
Kingston Royals' Owen Morgan took silver in 24.81 seconds
and David Leith of City of Edinburgh was bronze medallist
with a time of 24.89 seconds.
In the women's 50m freestyle, 14-year-old Francesca Halsall
(City of Liverpool) took gold to qualify for the European
Junior Championships in Hungary with a time of 26.23 seconds.
University of Bath's Jenny Lyles won silver in 26.73 seconds
and Loughborough University's Aimee Ramm won bronze in 26.81
seconds.
There were no World Championship qualifiers in the 100m butterfly
either, where City of Birmingham's Terri Dunning took gold
with a time of 60.48 seconds. Loughborough University duo
Rosalind Brett and Sarah Healey were second and third with
times of 60.73 and 60.93 seconds respectively.
In the final of the men's 100m freestyle, Olympic swimmer
Chris Cozens (Loughborough University) was a second off the
World Championship standard as he won gold with a time of
50.01 seconds. University of Bath's Ross Davenport took silver
in 50.24 seconds and Maxwell's Craig Gibbons won bronze in
50.84 seconds.
Another Scottish record was set in the semi final of the
200m freestyle as Loughborough University's Caitlin McClatchey
qualified for the finals in 1:59.99 seconds. University team
mate Melanie Marshall goes fastest into tomorrow's finals
with a time of 1:59.20 seconds. Both swimmers swam within
the World University Games qualification standard.
Missing recent retirees and local boys Steve Parry and James
Hickman, Stirling's Todd Cooper qualified fastest for the
final of the 100m butterfly, but was just outside World Championship
qualifying pace in 52.94 seconds.
In the men's 200m breaststroke, a late withdrawal from City
of Newcastle's Chris Cook enabled City of Edinburgh's Kristopher
Gilchrist to progress to the finals in top spot with a time
of 2:14.63 seconds.
Withdrawals were also an issue in the semi-finals of the
50m backstroke after defending champion Katie Sexton pulled
out following the 100m breaststroke final at the start of
the session.
Fourteen-year-old Simmonds goes through to lane four in a
personal best time of 29.99 seconds and 100m backstroke winner
Spofforth follows in 30.12 seconds.
Loughborough University's Euan Dale progresses fastest into
tomorrow's final of the 200m individual medley ahead of Olympian
Robin Francis (University of Bath).
The Commonwealth flame was also in Manchester today as part
of its world tour before the 2006 Games in Melbourne, Australia.
Two of Britain's most decorated swimmers James Hickman and
Karen Pickering presented the flame to a welcoming party comprising
Olympic bronze medallist Steve Parry, Mark Foster, Graeme
Smith, James Goddard, Adam Whitehead and Zoe Baker.
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