European champ Karen Graham lowers own British record

Karen Graham lowered her own British record as she won 200m Freestyle gold in the second session of the British Masters and Senior Age Group Championships 2017.

The East Leeds swimmer took down her own national marker from earlier in the year as she won the 50-54 Years age group title in Aberdeen.

Graham, who landed the European title in the same age group last season, came home in 2:18.77, beating her 2:19.45 from the event in London as well as her 2:19.35 record from January.

Etwall Eagles’ Kath Tunnicliffe – another medallist from last year’s European Championships in London – was also on record-breaking form in the second session.

Competing in the 100m Backstroke, in which she won European silver in 2016, Tunnicliffe set a British record for gold in the 65-69 Years age group.

She stopped the clock on 1:29.46, cruising under Helen Trippe’s old marker of 1:33.52 from January 2011.

Three records in relay events

There were three further records in the relay events in the second session.

Basingstoke Bluefin’s Ollie Espinasse, Spencer Turner, Liz Godfrey and Fleur Parker sliced half a second off the British record in the 160-199 Years Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Relay. The Basingstoke quartet came home in 1:46.21.

There was also a British record in the 200-239 Years age group of the Mixed 4x50m Free Relay.

Guildford City’s Mike Hodgson, Lynda Coggins, Michelle Ware and David Bryant set the new marker of 1:51.81 as they won gold in their age group.

Spencer lower European marker

The final record of the session came in the women’s 4x100m Medley Relay as Spencer broke their own European marker.

Esther Iseppi was the only swimmer from the British Championship winning quartet who set the old record of 5:46.60 in Swansea four years ago.

But while she swam backstroke that day, Iseppi swam the butterfly leg in Aberdeen, taking over after Frances Baker and Diane Ford before Claudia Goldschmidt brought the team home in 5:45.28.

Image credit: Brian Battensby

• Click here to view full results from the British Masters and Senior Age Group Championships 2017 in Aberdeen.