Ben Proud breaks British 50m Fly record at British Champs

Commonwealth champion Ben Proud set his second British record of the week to win 50m Butterfly gold at the 2017 British Swimming Championships.

The Plymouth Leander swimmer took his record down to 22.80 with a superb performance in Sheffield, winning gold ahead of Loughborough’s Adam Barrett and Plymouth teammate Rob Fannon.

Proud had broken the 50m Freestyle British record just 24 hours earlier in Sheffield, clocking 21.32 to win gold in the event in which he finished fourth on his Olympic debut last summer.

And while the 50m Fly isn’t an Olympic event, Proud’s time in the final day of action in Sheffield suggests he will be one of the top contenders at this summer’s World Championships in Budapest.

The 22-year old’s effort puts him at the helm of this year’s world rankings. Only Ukraine’s European champion Andrii Govorov has gone faster in the past five season.

Nothing to lose in the final

“I had nothing to lose so I thought just go into this final and swim as well as I can,” said Proud.

“Unlike the freestyle I didn’t have much practice going into it but it’s something I’m going to work on as we move towards Budapest.

“The butterfly is about letting your body rest and relax. It was good here but hopefully with some more training and practice we can move it on.

“The big thing for this year is always the World Championships and these are the stepping stones to that. But I am definitely looking forward to that now and after these swims I can go into it with a bit more confidence.”

Barrett’s best time since 2014

Barrett was just 0.15 seconds shy of his PB as he clocked his fastest time since 2014 for silver. The 24-year old repeated his result from the 100m Fly as he touched in 23.52.

Meanwhile, Fannon lowered his PB to secure the third spot on the podium, finishing in 24.28.

Atkinson and Kelly reach 100m Fly podium

Loughborough University pair Charlotte Atkinson and Rachael Kelly won silver and bronze in the 100m Butterfly.

Isle of Man swimmer Atkinson, who had already won the 50m and 200m Butterfly double in Sheffield, set a PB 58.22 to finish behind Welsh swimmer Alys Thomas (57.85).

Kelly was close behind, swimming a 58.41 effort for bronze.

  • Click here to view full results from the British Swimming Championships 2017.
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