FREESTYLERS POWER TO SILVER
Britain's 4x200m Freestyle squad boosted the medal tally
with silver and a new British Record on the penultimate day
of competition in Budapest.
With two changes from the heats (which included Euan Dale
and Robbie Renwick), this evening's squad of David Carry (Loughborough
University), Simon Burnett (Wycombe District), Andrew Hunter
(Stirling) and Ross Davenport (Loughborough University) put
up a strong fight against defending champions Italy who won
in a new European record of 7:09.06.
As both teams dominated the race, the Brits were neck and
neck with Italy to the halfway mark, but fell off the record
pace and the Italians forged a lead too great for anchorman
Davenport to close.
The British quartet touched easily for silver and took a
second off the national record, lowering it to 7:11.63. Greece,
who pulled back on the final leg but never challenged the
two leaders, won bronze in 7:16.67.
"We were aiming for the European Record, but to get
the British Record by more than a second is good and shows
we're moving in the right direction," said Davenport.
"That's British Records in both our relays now and to
be involved in that is something special."
"I love getting out and racing against the big boys,
which is not an opportunity we get very often," added
Carry. "Every time I do though I get in there and grab
it with both hands. I love the experience and getting on the
rostrum tops it off."
In the 50m Breaststroke final, James Gibson (Loughborough
University) and Darren Mew (University of Bath) were just
off the pace of World Record holder Oleg Lisogor (Ukraine)
who touched home in 27.48 and shares the title with Alessandro
Terrin of Italy. Gibson improved on his time from the final
for a fifth-place finish in 28.04.
"I made another final and got another good placing,
which means I've made all the finals I've competed at this
year," he said. "I've got the medley relay tomorrow
and I think we've got a good chance in that."
Mew clocked a time of 28.20 for seventh.
"I've has quite a disruptive time with three different
coaches in the space of a year," he said. "I've
now been with the same coach since January, I'm back in training
and I'm fit and healthy. It's all about qualifying for the
Worlds at the moment and then I can focus solely on Beijing."
After Commonwealth 200m Freestyle Champion Caitlin McClatchey
failed to progress from yesterday's heats, Britain's Mel Marshall
(Loughborough University) and Jo Jackson (Durham) were left
flying the flag, with both making it to this evening's finals.
Marshall was up with the leaders, but ran out of steam on
the final length to finish a frustrating fourth in 1:58.95
while Jackson was just off her PB for fifth in 1:59.30.
"It's been a tough week, but I've got involved, got
stuck in and got on with it," said Marshall. "I'm
happy with how I swam there. There have been a lot of ups
and downs over the last couple of years but mentally I feel
I've made progress.
"I had a good Commonwealth Games so it was hard to come
here knowing it would be a much tougher competition, but I've
really enjoyed being here."
Todd Cooper (Stirling) was also in action in tonight's finals
in a tight 100m Butterfly race where just three tenths of
a second separated the eighth-placed swimmer from the bronze.
Cooper improved on his time from the semi-finals and moved
up two places, but just missed out in the gruelling sprint
finish and touched sixth in 53.24.
"I worked very hard out there," said Cooper. "My
goal for the meet was to come here and enjoy it. I had a rough
time at the Commonwealth Games and I didn't swim as I wanted.
Here, I've had a really good happy week, I've swum faster
every round and was just 0.3 off a medal."
In the 200m Backstroke final, James Goddard (Stockport Metro)
finished joint fifth in a race that saw the European record
fall to Arkady Vyatchanin of Russia. Goddard, who was surprised
to progress past the semis, led the first length but fell
off the pace and finished in 1:59.70.
"I think my lack of fitness showed there," he said.
"I need to get a full year's training in and do some
hard work in the pool.
"I tried to control the first part of the race more
than before, but that time was a second slower than I did
last night. There are only two years to Beijing and I'll be
looking to get down to a 1:55.- and show everyone the kind
of swimmer I can be."
15-year-old Jess Dickons is the youngest swimmer to go through
to the 200m Butterfly final after two top class performances
in today's heats and semis. The Borough of Stockton swimmer
qualified fastest from the heats then went on to post a personal
best of 2:09.57 in the semi-final to place her sixth through
to the final.
"This week is all about the experience," she said.
"It's my first senior competition so to make the final
and set a PB is great. My plan was to go out a 1:02 low and
then bring it back as fast as possible over the last 100m.
It's my last race tomorrow so I'm going to give it everything
I've got."
Terri Dunning (City of Birmingham) finished tenth after the
semis in 2:11.57.
In the 50m Breaststroke, Kate Haywood (Loughborough University)
was just off her PB and is number one through to the final
in 31.47, while in the 50m Freestyle 16-year-old Fran Halsall
(City of Liverpool) was seven hundredths of a second off qualification
for the final and finished ninth in 25.36.
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