BRITAIN MEET REST OF THE WORLD IN MELBOURNE
The World Championships opened in Melbourne amid a flurry
of impressive performances and Britain's swimmers were in
the thick of the action looking to give the team a solid platform
for the eight-day meet.
A packed Rod Laver Arena greeted the world's best swimmers
and they didn't disappoint.
Britain's first finalist was Jo Jackson (Derwentside) who
made the final of the Women's 400m Freestyle with a very hard-fought
swim in the morning heats.
Jackson (20) went into the final as seventh fastest, team
mate Caitlin McClatchey missing out in ninth, and she gave
the performance of her life to finish seventh in a new best
time of 4:07.42.
Jackson went out strongly and was lying third at the half
way stage but, in an event where just making the final required
swimmers to go faster than any other previous meet, the field
soon showed its quality and Jackson was overhauled as the
wall drew near.
Gold went to favourite Laure Manaudou of France in a new
Championship Record of 4:02.61, Poland's Otylia Jedrezejczak
took the silver in 4:04.23 and Ai Shibata of Japan claimed
the bronze in 4:05.19.
"It was obviously going to be a very tough race tonight,
given the field and the fact it was the fastest final in history
to qualify for, but I'm disappointed I didn't go quicker,"
said Jackson.
"I was happy to have made the final, that was a really
hard swim for me this morning, and for me it was a personal
best but I know I could have gone quicker. We had a target
when we came to Melbourne and I didn't hit tonight.
"I'm still learning and I know there's more to come
but to get this far and not achieve what I had set my heart
on and worked for is disappointing."
Britain's 4x100m Freestyle Relay looked in Good form going
into tonight's final after the quartet gave a strong performance
in the morning heats to qualify in eighth place.
Teenager sprinter Fran Halsall (City of Liverpool) led off
the relay and swam an impressive 54.80, Mel Marshall followed
in 54.42, Julia Beckett in 56.06 and Ros Brett in 56.66 (all
Loughborough University).
Gold went to Australia in a new Championship Record on 3:35.48,
the USA team were second in 3:35.68 and the Netherlands took
the bronze in 3:36.81.
For Brett, who plans to retire after the World Championships,
it was her last freestyle relay and she happy to go out with
a brave British performance but was unhappy about missing
out on the British Record she helped to set in 2000 at the
Sydney Olympics.
"We were trying to get the record that I'm already a
part of," said Brett. "It's probably my last relay
swim so it would have been special to go out with a new record.
Team mate Marshall, who swam the fastest split of the quartet,
was pleased with the way the team swam.
"After making the final we decided we were just going
to get after it which is what we did, it's just a shame we
didn't break that record," said Marshall. "Our aim
was to make the final so it's job done and tonight we gave
it a real go."
In the Men's 100m Breaststroke former World bronze medallist
James Gibson (Marseille) couldn't do enough to make the final
finishing jut outside in joint ninth with a time of 1:01.24.
Team mate Chris Cook (City of Newcastle) missed out also in
11th in a time of 1:01.28.
"It's frustrating not to be in the final but the upside
for me is that I know I'm starting to get my speed back which
I've been lacking for the past two years," said Gibson.
"I felt I swam it like an amateur and not like the older
head that I am these days. It was slower than I swam this
morning which isn't good enough at this level. The one thing
I will take from it, however, is the speed looks good for
my 50m event."
Despite showing good form coming into the meet, Cook was
upset at not progressing to tomorrow's final.
"That was a totally different ball game a year on from
the Commonwealth Games," said Cook. "I've been in
great form as well but tonight I just couldn't get the race
pace right.
"I've been training well and I feel in good shape but
that was rusty out there. I just don't feel I'm in racing
form yet.
"The stage was set and I had the opportunity but I didn't
take it and have missed out. I'm much better than that but
it felt like the wheels came off for me in the last 50m."
Earlier in the day Robbie Renwick (City of Aberdeen) set
a new best time, by a second-and-a-half, in the heats of the
Men's 400m Freestyle when he swam 3:50.07 to finish 15th.
In the Women's 100m Butterfly Terri Dunning (City of Birmingham)
and Jess Dickons (Borough of Stockton) finished 17th and 34th
respectively in 59.87 and 1:01.11.
Stirling's Todd Cooper was 37th in the Men's 50m Butterfly
in 24.61 and Britain's 4x100m Freestyle team of Chris Cozens
(University of Bath), Simon Burnett (Wycombe), Ross Davenport
(Loughborough University) and Ben Hockin (Swansea) set a new
British Record of 3:41.28 to finish ninth.
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