Swim England Artistic Swimming
Shortman impresses again in first World Championship final
July 19, 2017Kate Shortman brought the curtain down on her maiden World Championships with another impressive performance in the Solo Free final in Budapest.
The 15-year old City of Bristol swimmer sailed past 80 points for the second time in three days to finish 12th overall.
She ultimately scored 82.3667 for her passionate routine to ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’ by Joe Cocker.
Shortman and duet partner Isabelle Thorpe, 16, have been two of the most breakthrough newcomers at this year’s Worlds.
The pair received a personal best 82.5667 to finish 16th of 43 pairs in yesterday’s Duet Free prelims.
Meanwhile, Shortman raised a few eyebrows by reaching the Solo Free final, scoring 83.4667 to progress from the prelim despite being the youngest swimmer in the field.
And Swim England Synchro Manager Karen Thorpe insists the two teenagers had surpassed all expectations with their performances in Hungary.
“We were hoping to be placed between 19th and 17th in the Duet, which would have equalled our Olympic result from last year,” said Thorpe.
“I knew there was an opportunity for Kate to reach the final with a good swim.
“But the scores and final placings in both events have well exceeded my expectations. I’m so pleased with the results.”
Walking Out For The FinalKate Shortman walks out to compete in the Free Solo final at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest.1/7
Young pair make staggering progress in last five weeks
While the young pair are competing at their first World Championships, they have gained plenty of experience over the past 12 months.
They won the national Duet title in April, while Shortman also won gold in the Free Solo.
They also helped the British team to a clean sweep of top 10 finishes at the European Junior Championships in Belgrade last month.
And Thorpe admits they have made staggering progress over the five weeks, despite balancing their training with studying and exams.
“The two athletes have had a busy year with Isabelle doing GCSEs and Kate preparing for her exams next year,” said Thorpe.
“They have been pushing each other in training and worked especially hard over the past month with the Junior Europeans and camp in Italy before coming to Hungary.
“They will be looking forward to some time back at home to rest their bodies before training again in September.
“We are already planning what’s next and we will be looking for a coach to work with them on a day-to-day basis in Bristol, and then team at weekends.”
- Click here to view full results from the 2017 World Championships.
