Jessica Fullalove sets milestone on way to National Winter Championships title

Jessica Fullalove set a new milestone as she took gold at the Swim England National Winter Championships.

The 22-year-old Bath University swimmer dropped under the 58-second barrier for the first time in a short course 100m Backstroke race, winning the title in a time of 57.83.

That was 0.24 seconds faster than her previous personal best of 58.07 set at the 2016 National Winter Championships.

She said: “I was a bit scared [going into that race] to be honest. I put quite a bit of pressure on myself to do a best time.

“I needed a bit of a confidence boost after last night, I was a bit down, it was a bit bitter sweet moment. But I’m happy with my time now.

“It’s a bit of a relief [to get a PB]. I’m not that old but, when you get to my age, it’s a bit hard to get PBs so to get one is a great achievement.”

City of Manchester Aquatics’ Chloe Golding also set a new personal best of 58.58 as she took the silver medal.

High Performance Centre Ontario’s Hanna Henderson won a commemorative bronze medal for her time of 59.03.

City of Sheffield’s Lily Boseley lowered her personal best by 0.06 seconds to take the open bronze medal in 59.41.

Thirteen-year-old Ealing swimmer Leah Whittaker was the junior gold medallist after clocking 1:01.96.

That was 0.27 clear of Cam Brea’s Turaya Evans, 15, who finished in 1:02.23, while Plymouth Leander’s Honey Osrin recorded 1:02.46 to take the junior bronze.

Greenbank at his best to grab gold

Luke Greenbank knocked more than a second off his personal best over the course of the day as he won gold in the Men’s 100m Backstroke.

The 21-year-old lowered his previous best time of 51.97 set at the BUCS Short Course Swimming Championships in 2017 by 0.62 seconds as he clocked 51.35 in the morning’s heat.

And the Loughborough University swimmer dropped under 51 seconds for the first time in his short course career, clocking 50.88 to take the title ahead of Stockport Metro’s Thomas Howdle.

Greenbank, who was 0.71 ahead of Howdle’s time of 51.59, said: “That was really good.

“I’m really happy to get a personal best under my belt and getting back to my best, so I’m really pleased.

“After the heat, I was trying to push for that [personal best] a little bit but I was not thinking about it too much.

“I knew it was going to be a really good race with Tom and I just wanted to do my best really.”

City of Sheffield’s Jay Lelliott won the bronze medal in a time of 51.90.

In the junior race, the gold medal was won by City of Sheffield’s Reuben Visda, 15, in a time of 55.38.

City of Oxford’s Nicholas Skelton, 15, claimed the junior silver after touching home in 55.86, while the bronze went to Derwentside’s Lewis Maxwell, 15, in 56.88.

Kierra races away with crown

In the Women’s 200m Breaststroke, High Performance Centre Ontario’s Kierra Smith was the commemorative gold medallist in a time of 2:19.14.

The 24-year-old touched home 1.26 seconds ahead of Stockport Metro’s Katie Matts, who won the open gold in 2:20.40.

Bath University’s Georgia Coates was a further 1.05 behind in 2:21.45 to take the open silver, while Loughborough University’s Megan Morrison won the open bronze for her time of 2:23.85.

Lana Broekhoven, 15, of Plymouth Leander, was the junior gold medallist in a time of 2:29.04, which was 1.80 seconds ahead of Abingdon Vale’s Natalie Druett, 15, who clocked 2:30.84.

The junior bronze medal went to City of Leeds’ Charlotte Robinson, 15, in 2:32.27.

Edward triumphs with new PB

Edward Baxter smashed his personal best by 2.24 seconds to claim the Men’s 200m Breaststroke gold medal.

The 20-year-old Loughborough University swimmer clocked 2:06.93 to finish 0.91 seconds clear of Plymouth Leander’s Adam Chillingworth, who won the silver in a time of 2:07.84.

City of Oxford’s T Mackay-Champion took the bronze medal in 2:10.40.

In the junior race, Millifield’s William Ellington, 15, won the gold in 2:16.78, Reading’s Joshua Buxton, 15, was second in 2:18.60, while Northampton’s Harvey Freeman, 14, was the bronze medallist in 2:19.66