British Summer Champs
The British Summer Championships returned to Sheffield with hundreds of the country's top swimmers descending on Ponds Forge from 22nd-28th July.
Breaststroker Imogen Clark was delighted with her performance at the British Summer Championships. After the disappointment of missing World’s qualification, Imogen swam an incredible 30.08, a time which would have secured her 4th place at World’s (Funkita’s Lara Van Niekerk swam 30.09 in the final to place 4th) and the time was just outside her lifetime best. Her success continued in the 100m breaststroke, where she achieved a lifetime best after six years of striving for improvement in the event with a 1:07.35.
Imogen approached the meet differently, opting for a unique taper strategy to foster continuous learning and to better her performances. She wanted to achieve world-leading times and achieve a personal best in the 100m, both of which she successfully accomplished.
The meet served as preparation for the upcoming Olympic trials in April, indicating that she was on track for even more significant challenges. Over the next few months, Imogen will be honing her skills through training and competing at home, leaving us eagerly awaiting more exciting times to come.
In the 100m backstroke event, while Honey Osrin narrowly missed a personal best, she was satisifed with her swim, being just 0.1 seconds away from her PB and securing her second-fastest time. The result left her feeling back on track and filled with positivity. However, it was in the 200m backstroke that Honey truly shone. After four years of striving, she finally broke the elusive 2.10 barrier, a moment filled with overwhelming emotion. Overcoming struggles with confidence, her swim rejuvenated her mentality, and she eagerly looks forward to the next season, aiming to swim even faster.
In the 50m butterfly event, Emily Ford was disheartened after a bad start but she progressed nicely through the heats and semis of the 50m back placing 6th in the final and achieving a personal best. Despite facing unusual preparations with missed training due to personal commitments, Emily's mental strength and perseverance led to noteworthy achievements at the targeted meet.
In the 200m butterfly, Maisie Elliot had hoped for a better time, expressing disappointment that she swam slower than her World Champs Trials swim. Looking ahead, her summer will be filled with travel and relaxation, taking a break from training until September before getting back into it again.
Fresh off a great result in the 10k open water swim at the World Champs in Fukuoka, Leah stepped up to the blocks back home. In the 50m breaststroke, a race she doesn't usually do, Leah smashed her previous record. In the 200m breaststroke, she was so close to a personal best, and then nailed the 200m individual medley, bagging a small PB and winning gold.
She did it again in the 400m individual medley, another small PB and another first-place victory! With a busy week of 17 races, she was happy with her overall performance. ? Leah's not done yet – she's got U23 Europeans in Dublin in two weeks from August 11th, and we're all stoked to see her shine there.