White and Hamer on record-breaking form in Sheffield

Paralympic medallist Lewis White was in record-breaking form as he won gold on the opening night of the British Para-Swimming International Meet 2017.

The City of Derby swimmer clocked 57.18 to lower his own British S9 100m Freestyle record and win MC gold.

White’s previous best was a 57.41 effort from the 2016 British Summer Championships, also in Sheffield’s Ponds Forge.

But the 17-year old, who won bronze in the S9 400m Freestyle on his Paralympic debut in Rio last summer, eclipsed that in fine style to score 850 points and top the podium.

Tom Hamer broke the European and British S14 records in the same event with a PB in the heats.

The S14 swimmers didn’t progress to the final in Sheffield, with the 100m Freestyle not an event on their Paralympic programme.

And 18-year old Hamer left nothing in the pool with his morning swim, lowering his PB by more than a second to 53.75.

A successful first day for England’s swimmers saw double Paralympic champion Hannah Russell win 100m Freestyle gold.

The S12 swimmer scored 933 points to come out on top in the women’s event after clocking 59.77 in the final.

Steph Millward was the only other to pass 900 points on the day. The S8 swimmer came home in 1:06.62 for 916 points.

Maisie Summers-Newton catches eye with PB for breaststroke silver

Northampton’s Maisie Summers-Newton marked herself as one to watch for 2017 with a PB for silver in the MC 100m Breaststroke.

The 14-year old started the season with a lifetime best of 1:51.62 for 100m Breast, set at the National Championships in December 2016.

But after slicing 10 seconds off that time already in 2017, Summers-Newton sailed under the 1:40 marker in both heats and final – the first SB6 swimmer to do so this season.

The young English swimmer finished with a PB of 1:39.24 in the final, landing her 902 points and moving her to second in the British all-time rankings for the SB6 100m Breaststroke.

Double Paralympic medallist Charlotte Henshaw sits at the top of those rankings with her British record 1:36.94 from the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow.

Only Norway’s four-time Paralympic gold medallist Sarah Louise Rung (SB4) could beat Summers-Newton’s tally in Sheffield, scoring 912 for her 1:47.07 effort to land gold.

Colchester Phoenix teenager Ellie Challis was the third English gold medallist of the day, winning the MC 50m Breaststroke.

The 13-year old, who swims in the S2 classification, finished in 1:25.47 with Japan’s S2 swimmer Yuki Omukai second on 2:47.43.

  • Click here to view full results from the British Para-Swimming International Meet 2017.
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