2024 SWIM ENGLAND NATIONAL WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2024 Swim England National Winter Championships kicked off last night from Sheffield with multiple Olympians in the water.
20-year-old Freya Colbert of Loughborough participated in two events to begin her campaign, starting with the women’s 200m IM.
Colbert notched a winning effort of 2:07.99 to beat the field by over a second, with visiting Japanese swimmer Hiroko Makino and Manchester’s Leah Schlosshan rounding out the podium.
Makino touched in 2:09.14 while Schlosshan hit 2:09.21 as the respective silver and bronze medalists in the only other sub-2:10 performances of the field.
As for Colbert, her time checked in as a lifetime best, beating her previous best-ever performance of 2:08.36 from the British Universities & Colleges (BUCS) Short Course Championships just last month. The Paris finalist now ranks as GBR’s #10 performer of all time, with Schlosshan ranked ahead in slot #9, courtesy of her PB of 2:07.83 from the 2023 European Short Course Championships.
Colbert then tried the women’s 100m free on for size just a handful of events later yesterday evening. She settled for silver in 53.31 behind Repton’s 18-year-old Eva Okaro.
Okaro stopped the clock in 53.01 for the gold and Bath’s Jemima Hall earned the bronze in 54.27.
Okaro’s effort represents a big-time personal best, wiping out the 53.43 logged just last month. Her effort here ranks her 8th among the all-time British women’s performers.
25-year-old Makino also dove in for a second event, taking on an off-race of the women’s 100m breaststroke. Makino, who is a former national champion in the 200m fly, posted 1:05.59 to upset British ace Imogen Clark.
Clark was just .20 behind in 1:05.79 and Loughborough’s Lily Booker turned in 1:06.62 for bronze.
Straight off the Rotterdam Qualification Meet in the long course format, 16-year-old Max Morgan stole the show in the men’s 100m breast.
The Reed’s Swim Club budding star clinched the top spot in 58.12 as 24-year-old Greg Butler snagged silver in 58.32.
Another teen, 17-year-old Filip Nowacki of Millfield, landed on the podium in 58.98 for bronze.
According to British Swimming, Morgan’s huge effort here established a new British Junior Record in the SCM 100 breast. The teen held the previous benchmark at 1:00.19 from last year’s edition of these championships. He slides into the all-time British rankings in slot #10, a promising situation considering he’s just 16.
Additional Winners
- Jamie Ingram got it done for gold in the men’s 50n fly, hitting 22.73 as the sole swimmer under the 23-second barrier. He now checks in as the 6th-swiftest British man in history.
- The Greenbank brothers made it a 1-2 finish in the men’s 200m back, led by Olympic medalist Luke Greenbank. The 27-year-old notched 1:52.29 for the decisive victory, with Samuel Greenbank next in 1:54.64. Luke owns the British national record, courtesy of the 1:48.53 produced at last year’s SC Europen Championships when he earned silver behind winner Lorenzo Mora of Italy.
- The men’s 400 free saw 22-year-old Charlie Hutchison touch first in 3:40.19, getting the edge over 19-year-old teammate Tyler Melbourne-Smith who was right behind in 3:40.36.
- Joe Litchfield nabbed gold in the men’s 100m IM in 53.20.
- With her Short Course World Championships debut on the horizon next week, 15-year-old Amelie Blocksidge topped the women’s 1500m free senior and junior podiums in 15:58.22 ahead of Fleur Lewis who hit 16:05.85.
- Stockport Metro’s Daniel Khodaverdi notched a new English Junior Record time of 3:52.51 as the 15-year-old won the 400m free.
