Swim England Competitive Swimming Hub
History-making GB top European Short Course Champs medal table for first time
December 11, 2023It was a historic European Short Course Championships 2023 for Great Britain as the team topped the medal table for the first time ever at the event.
A total of 35 British athletes travelled to Otopeni, Romania to compete across the six days, with the action kicking off on Tuesday 5 December and concluding on Sunday 10 December.
Strong performances throughout the championships saw GB step onto the podium every day as they went on to clinch a total of 23 medals.
They were crowned ‘best team’ of the competition after winning nine golds, eight silvers and six bronze medals.
The results see Great Britain end this year on a high as they look forward to an Olympic year in 2024, with the European Short Course Championships the final international of 2023.
Records tumble
Alongside their medal haul, the British team also set one new European record, three new British bests and a new championship record.
The stand-out swim came courtesy of Ben Proud in the 50m Freestyle. The 29-year-old finished just 0.02 outside of the world record.
He clocked in at a new European record time of 20.18 to take gold and also played his part in two record-breaking relay swims.
The first came in the Men’s 4x50m Freestyle Relay. A quartet of Proud, Matt Richards, Alex Cohoon and Lewis Burras achieved a time of 1:22.52 to beat the British record.
Proud and Burras later teamed up with Anna Hopkin and Freya Anderson to swim a championship record time of 1:27.75 in the Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Relay towards the latter stages of the competition.
In the Women’s 4x50m Medley Relay, Kathleen Dawson, Imogen Clark, Keanna MacInnes and Anna Hopkin are now the new British record holders after their bronze medal-winning time of 1:44.67.
The third British record was set by Duncan Scott in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley. His time of 1:50.98 saw him finish on top of the podium.
Jacob Peters also secured his first-ever individual international medal after he touched home in the bronze medal position in the Men’s 100m Butterfly final on day two.
See below for the full roll of honour for all 23 British medals. Detailed results can be found here.
European Short Course Championships 2023 roll of honour
- Silver – Freya Colbert – Women’s 400m Individual Medley
- Gold – Abbie Wood – Women’s 400m Individual Medley
- Bronze – Anna Hopkin, Lucy Hope, Medi Harris, Freya Anderson – Women’s 50m Freestyle Relay
- Gold – Matt Richards, Lewis Burras, Alexander Cohoon, Ben Proud, Duncan Scott – Men’s 4x50m Freestyle Relay
- Bronze – Jacob Peters – Men’s 100m Butterfly
- Silver – Jonathon Adam, Archie Goodburn, Edward Mildred, Alexander Cohoon, Oliver Morgan, Jacob Peters, Matt Richards – Men’s 4x50m Medley Relay
- Silver – Katie Shanahan – Women’s 200m Backstroke
- Gold – Medi Harris – Women’s 200m Backstroke
- Gold – Ben Proud – Men’s 50m Freestyle
- Bronze – Kathleen Dawson, Kara Hanlon, Laura Stephens, Freya Anderson, Imogen Clark, Keanna Macinnes, Anna Hopkin – Women’s 4x50m Medley Relay
- Gold – Duncan Scott – Men’s 200m Individual Medley
- Bronze – Freya Anderson – Women’s 100m Freestyle
- Silver – Anna Hopkin – Women’s 100m Freestyle
- Silver – Medi Harris – Women’s 100m Backstroke
- Silver – James Guy – Men’s 200m Freestyle
- Gold – Matt Richards – Men’s 200m Freestyle
- Gold – Abbie Wood – Women’s 200m Individual Medley
- Gold – Alexander Cohoon, Lewis Burras, Anna Hopkin, Lucy Hope, Ben Proud, Freya Anderson – Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Relay
- Gold – Freya Anderson – Women’s 200m Freestyle
- Bronze – Freya Colbert – Women’s 200m Freestyle
- Silver – Luke Greenbank – Men’s 200m Backstroke
- Silver – Duncan Scott – Men’s 400m Individual Medley
- Bronze – Imogen Clark – Women’s 50m Breaststroke
