Molly Renshaw becomes world champion with 200m Breaststroke gold

Molly Renshaw sealed her first major international title with 200m Breaststroke gold at the 2016 World Short Course Championships in Windsor, Canada.

The 20-year old clocked 2:18.51 to become the first English gold medallist at a World Short Course Championship since Rebecca Adlington and Liam Tancock topped the podium at the 2008 event in Manchester.

Renshaw qualified fastest fifth fastest from the heats, with Welsh swimmer Chloe Tutton fastest on 2:18.89.

But the English swimmer saved plenty in the tank for the final, coming through from third at the half-way stage to take the touch.

And while the Loughborough University swimmer fell short of her British record 2:18.44 from last year’s ASA National Winter Meet in Sheffield, she was crucially 0.01 seconds ahead of Canada’s Kelsey Wog in second. Tutton ensured there would be two Brits on the podium with bronze in 2:18.83.

English swimmers finish with three medals in Canada

Renshaw’s result is the third English medal of the Championships, adding to silvers for Andrew Willis and Max Litchfield.

It is also the breaststroke swimmer’s first medal on the world stage. Her previous individual honours were European silver in 2014 and Commonwealth bronze in the same year.

The youngster made her Olympic debut earlier this season, lowering the British record to 2:22.33 on the way to a sixth place finish in Rio.

Relays finish fifth and eighth

There were English swimmers in action in both of the 4x100m Medley Relays on the final day in Windsor.

Charlie Boldison swam the backstroke leg and Adam Barrett the butterfly as the men finished fifth in 3:25.77.

In the women’s final, Laura Stephens swam the butterfly leg and Georgia Coates anchored the British quartet to eighth place in 3:54.54.

  • Click here to view results from the 2016 World Short Course Championships

Image Credit: Tim Jones Twitter

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