Applegate and Russell set British records
14th January 2013
Jessica-Jane Applegate and Hannah Russell began their 2013 campaigns in style as they clocked British records this weekend.
Paralympic S14 200m Freestyle champion Applegate was in scintillating form in the City of Derby Meet at Ponds Forge, Sheffield as she lowered three of her own British records as well as setting a fourth personal best.
The 16-year old’s first record came over 100m Freestyle as she lowered her British marker to 1:02.17 before she took her 50m Butterfly record to 30.51 in the same session.
In Sunday’s final session, Applegate set a personal best 1:10.83 to close in on Tracy Wiscombe’s 100m Butterfly British record of 1:10.56 from 2002.
Applegate rounded off her meet with a third British record as she knocked 0.25 seconds off her own 50m Freestyle marker to touch in 28.36.
Competing at the Exeter City Meet at Cardiff International Pool, Russell’s British record came over 200m Freestyle as she clocked a new S12 marker.
The 16-year old, who won two medals on her Paralympic debut at London 2012 last year, also ducked under the ratified world record as she stopped the clock on 2:13.42.
Russell’s time broke the previous British best time of 2:14.60 set by Paralympic gold medallist Melanie Easter in 1997.
