Clogg secures 200m Backstroke gold at British Summer Champs

August 1, 2016

Elliot Clogg landed his fifth gold of the 2016 British Summer Championships with victory in a dramatic 200m Backstroke final.

Competing in the 17/18 Yrs age group, the 16-year old had already won the 50m Back, 100m Back and 100m Free crowns in Sheffield. He also helped the City of Sheffield 4x200m Freestyle Relay quartet to gold on day four at Ponds Forge.

But his 200m Backstroke final was the closest of all five, with the teenager touching just 0.06 seconds clear of Millfield’s Brodie Williams.

GOLD!! @ElliotClogg takes GOLD!! 200backstroke with a awesome new PB of 2:00.4 #TeamSteel #SummerChamps16
— City of Sheffield SS (@_TeamSteel) July 31, 2016

The pair were fairly evenly matched coming into the Championships, with Williams having finished 11th and Clogg 13th at the European Junior Championships in Hungary earlier in the month.

But while Williams held the advantage at the 50m, 100m and 150m turns, Clogg had enough to overhaul the Millfield swimmer in the last 50m, coming home in a PB 2:00.41.

Williams also broke 2:01 for the first time on a PB 2:00.47 with the pair the fastest two from any age group on the night.

McCleave and Stirk land first golds

Nathan McCleave secured his first gold of the meet with victory in the 15 Yrs 200m Back. The Dorking swimmer set a British 14 Yrs age group record for silver in the 50m Back, while he also touched second in the 100m Back.

But while he finished seventh in this event in the 13/14 Yrs age group 12 months ago, he made sure of gold this time with a dominant performance from gun to wall.

McCleave’s PB from before the meet had been 2:13.31 from March this year, but he clocked 2:06.73 in the final, falling just 0.09 seconds shy of Luke Greenbank’s British age group record.

City of Leeds’ Myles Stirk didn’t just win his first gold with victory in the 16 Yrs 200m Back, but his first medal of the meet as well.

Stirk had finished fourth in both the 100m Back and 400m IM already in Sheffield, but a PB 2:05.44 in the 200m Back final made sure he finished his meet on the top step of the podium.

Bath University’s Joe Hulme was the only other English men’s 200m Backstroke winner on the day, taking the senior title in 2:01.12.