Colbert takes Winter Championships gold in thrilling freestyle final

Freya Colbert came out on top in a thrilling Women’s Open 400m Freestyle final at the National Winter Championships 2021.

On day two of the competition, the 400m Freestyle was packed full of talent.

Olympian Abbie Wood went out strong and attacked the race from the off, taking an early and commanding lead.

Nova Centurion’s Colbert stuck to her game plan and swam a perfectly timed race to take the gold medal.

The 17-year-old touched the wall in 4:02.71, just 0.31 ahead of Millfield’s Tamryn Van Selm (4:03.02). Bath NC’s Leah Crisp was the next to finish, earning her the bronze medal in 4:08.46.

Stockton’s Evie Dilley claimed her second junior gold medal of the session with a 4:15.38 in the 400m Freestyle.

It was fingertips between first and second place, as Laura Hodgson of Newcastle took the silver medal in 4:15.42 – just 0.04 behind Dilley.

Mount Kelly’s Erin Little was on the tails of the front two, clocking in at 4:15.78 for bronze.

Golden hat-trick for Reuben

Reuben Rowbotham-Keating finished with a hat-trick of gold medals on day two after wins in the Men’s Junior 100m Freestyle and 200m Butterfly finals.

He started off another successful finals session with a win in the Men’s Junior 200m Individual Medley.

The City of Manchester Aquatics swimmer managed a time of 2:00.31 in the 200m Butterfly.

Millfield’s Matthew Cairns (2:01.53) finished in second place, followed by Mount Kelly’s Riccardo Lucarelli (2:01.67).

In the Open event, it was the battle of the national centres as Bath NC’s Jacob Peters beat Loughborough NC’s Joe Litchfield to the touch.

Peters clocked in at 1:52.23, with Litchfield finishing in 1:55.03 and Jacob Jackson’s 1:56.53 saw the City of Birmingham swimmer take the bronze.

Rowbotham-Keating’s final gold of the day came after a 49.68 second swim in the 100m Freestyle.

Jacob Whibley (49.74) of Plymouth Leander finished in silver and City of Liverpool’s Tyler Melbourne-Smith (50.69) earned bronze after his 1500m triumph earlier in the session.

Derventio and Team GB’s Jacob Whittle won the Open final in a time of 48.04 seconds, followed by another City of Manchester Aquatics swimmer in Jamie Ingram (48.23).

The bronze medallist was Loughborough NC’s Elliot Clogg in 48.60.

Another gold for Hindley

Brompton’s Isabella Hindley followed up her 50m Freestyle win with gold in the Women’s Open 100m Individual Medley final.

Her time of 1:00.62 saw her step on top of the podium again, with Lana Broekhoven (1:03.14) of Plymouth Leander taking silver and Hatfield’s Jana Spinner (1:03.66) in third.

Hamilton Aquatics’ swimmer Molly Mayne, 16, earned a commemorative silver in the Open final and a commemorative gold in the Junior final.

City of Manchester Aquatics’ Caitlin Lansom (1:03.25) also took junior gold. Mount Kelly’s Hollie Widdows (1:03.58) added silver to her earlier bronze and Millfield’s Kirsten Powell (1:04.19) took junior bronze.

Litchfield charges to victory

Despite missing out on a second gold medal in the Butterfly event, Joe Litchfield had stood on top of the podium once on day two.

The Loughborough NC swimmer charged to victory in the Men’s 50m Backstroke final in 23.80 seconds to finish ahead of Cameron Brooker (23.87) and William Kearsey (24.30).

Matthew Cairns was crowned the junior gold medallist in a time of 24.70. Matthew Ward (25.31) took home silver and Lewis Warner (25.65) the bronze.

Molly edges out Megan

Molly Mayne won a commemorative gold medal as the Hamilton Aquatics teenager stormed to victory in the Women’s Open 50m Breaststroke.

Her time of 30.89 was 0.32 seconds quicker than Loughborough University’s Megan Morrison, who claimed the national title after clocking 31.21.

Laura Kinley edged out Sienna Robinson by 0.01 seconds to take the national silver medal in 31.39.

City of Sheffield’s Robinson’s bronze medal time of 31.40 was enough to earn her the 16 years and under gold medal – with Aaliyah Richards of Borough Waltham Forest taking the junior silver after finishing ninth in the senior final in 32.41.

Teamipswich’s Beth Young was victorious in the 16 years and under race, which earned her the junior bronze medal in a time of 32.13.