Holly Hibbott lands 400m Free gold at British Summer Champs

Holly Hibbott secured her third individual title of the 2016 British Summer Championships with 400m Freestyle gold in Sheffield.

The Stockport Metro swimmer dominated the 17/18 Yrs final to win in 4:09.91 from Wales’ Kathryn Greenslade (4:12.23).

Hibbott had already won golds over 800m Free and 200m Fly in Sheffield, as well as anchoring the Stockport 4x200m Freestyle quartet to gold.

She was hot favourite to add the 400m Free crown, having won European Junior silver with a 16 Yrs British age group record in Hungary earlier this month.

And while she didn’t quite reach her 4:08.40 PB from Hungary, her time was the second fastest of her career – and more than a second under Anne Bochmann’s previous age group record from 2010.

The teenager’s hopes of progressing to the senior national team for next year’s World Championships look encouraging.

While she finished eighth in the final at this year’s Olympic Trials, her time at European Juniors would have finished second at the British Champs. Her time in Sheffield would have placed her third behind Rio-bound pair Jazz Carlin (4:04.33) and Ellie Faulkner (4:09.87).

Hibbott was back on the podium to pick up her fifth gold at the end of the session in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay. She swam the anchor leg in a team with Emma Gage, Katie Matts and Anna Newlands as they won gold in 3:46.50.

Pugh scoops fourth individual crown of the week

Tazmin Pugh secured her fourth individual gold of the meet with victory in the 16 Yrs 400m Freestyle.

Defending her crown from 12 months ago, the Ellesmere College Titans swimmer clocked 4:18.89 to finish more than 1.5 seconds clear of Scotland’s Nikki Miller (4:20.61 PB).

Pugh has also won the 400m IM, 200m Fly and 200m Back titles in Sheffield, as well as helping the Ellesmere 14-16 Yrs 4x200m Free quartet to gold.

And she scooped her sixth gold medal of the meet at the end of the session, leading off the Ellesmere 14-16 Yrs 4x100m Free team.

Another of the Championships’ star performers emerged victorious in the 13/14 Yrs age group.

City of Leeds’ Tia Ward lifted the crown, her first of a golden double in which she also won 200m IM gold.

Davison edges Anderson in 400m Free thriller

The 15 Yrs final was the closest of the day as Newcastle’s Annalea Davison denied Ellesmere’s Freya Anderson in thrilling dash to the wall.

Anderson was chasing a sixth gold of the week and took the race out from lane four, turning first on 2:06.39 at the half-way stage.

But 800m Free champion Davison took over the lead down the fifth length, establishing a 0.91 second lead with 50m to go.

The Ellesmere Titan stormed back with a 30.34 split down the final 50m, but Davison had enough in the tank to hold on, touching in a PB 4:15.75 to Anderson’s 4:15.79.

Anderson did eventually win her sixth gold alongside Pugh in the 4x100m Free, swimming the anchor leg as the quartet came home in 3:49.30.

  • Click here to view results from the 2016 British Summer Championships in Sheffield.

Image credit: Stockport Metro Twitter

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