Greenbank completes clean sweep of backstroke titles at Winter Champs

Samuel Greenbank completed a clean sweep of the backstroke titles on the final day of the GoCardless Swim England National Winter Championships 2023.

The City of Sheffield swimmer set a new personal best by more than half a second in the Open 50m Backstroke.

Greenbank claimed the 100m Backstroke crown on day one, followed by the 200m title on day three and rounded it all off with a fabulous 50m performance.

The 20-year-old’s gold medal-winning time was 24.23 and the closest to him was Birmingham University’s Shakil Giordani (24.48) in silver.

The bronze medal went to Loughborough University’s Jean Lamorisse in a time of 24.56.

The athletes in lanes six and seven took the top two places in the senior final.

Plymouth Leander’s Aiden Symons-Brown went two tenths of a second quicker than his personal best on his way to victory in 25.34.

Hatfield’s Maxwell George (25.37) was marginally behind and finished in second place, with City of Manchester’s Toby Hill in third.

Chelsea and Westminster’s Josef Adams punched the water in celebration after his victory in the junior final.

The 16-year-old sealed the win in 25.23. Plymouth Leander’s Finn Broekhoven and Kingston upon Hull’s Rio Daodu finished in second and third respectively.

Fifth British record for Ellard

The swimmer with the most record-breaking performances at this competition, William Ellard, already held the British best in the Open Multi-Classiffication (MC) 400m Freestyle.

It wasn’t long before four new records in a week became five, with the St Felix School swimmer blowing the previous record of 4:07 out of the water with his time of 3:59.83.

That result saw him rack up a total of 1,034 points to secure another national title and gold medal.

Another S14 swimmer who has had an impressive championships is Norwich Swan’s Timon Chapman.

The 21-year-old was among the medal yet again in this event, taking silver with 817 points. The bronze medallist, with 762 points, was City of Coventry’s William Newton.

Wood adds national title to European glory

European champion Abbie Wood added the National Winter Championships gold medal to the one she collected in this event out in Romania just over a week ago.

Despite a strong backstroke performance from Freya Colbert, Wood began to extend her lead in the breaststroke legs to finish in a time of 4:28.17.

Wood took the gold medal and the St Hirst trophy, with Colbert still finishing strongly to take another silver medal in 4:34.43.

In third place and collecting the bronze medal was Plymouth Leander’s Beatrice Varley (4:36.92).

It was a one-two finish for the home club, City of Sheffield, in the senior final as Abigail Miles and Carys O’Reilly battled it out for the national title.

The two teammates went head-to-head in the centre lanes, but it was Miles who took the lead in the freestyle legs and held on to win by around half a metre.

Her gold medal-winning time was 4:48.32 and O’Reilly clocked in at 4:48.98. In third place was Tiverton’s Jodie Dilks (4:53.40).

The junior final saw a fantastic swim from Wirral Metro’s Abbie Roscoe who turned up the heat to smash her lifetime best by six seconds.

Roscoe (4:46.18) finished more than three seconds clear of second place, which went to Team Ipswich’s Matilda Bogle.

Bogle’s time of 4:49.70 was around four seconds better than her own lifetime best and followed her to the wall was Borough of Stockton’s Emma Price.

Lifetime best for Hutchison

Charlie Hutchison added to his medal tally at this year’s championships as he managed a new lifetime best in the Open 400m Freestyle final.

The Loughborough University swimmer collected his second gold after also winning the Open 400m Individual Medley on day two.

The 21-year-old was presented with the Horace Davenport Cup for the 400m Freestyle. His winning time was 3:41.39.

Loughborough PC’s Joe Litchfield was chasing down the lead towards the end of the race, but Hutchison had done enough.

Litchfield (3:42.28) finished in the silver medal position and there was another Loughborough University swimmer on the podium, as Tyler Melbourne-Smith (3:42.51) took bronze.

In the senior final, Sean McCann timed his race to perfection as he reduced his lifetime best yet again.

The 18-year-old knocked four seconds off his lifetime best in the heats and replicated that same achievement in the final, touching the wall in 3:50.25.

His Loughborough University teammate, Samuel Tucker, was the next to finish in 3:51.34 and completing the top three was Guildford’s Christian Duetoft (3:51.49).

There was a very tight finish in the junior final between West Suffolk’s Matthew Baker and Mount Kelly’s Balint Ashton.

The pair both set massive new personal bests, but it was Baker (3:51.88) who finished on top by just 0.07.

After a brilliant swim, Ashton had to settle for the second place and not far behind was RTW Monson’s Hayden Annan in third.

Parsons phenomenal performance

City of Liverpool’s Lucy Parsons knocked 11 seconds off her lifetime best on route to clinching gold in the Female 800m Freestyle.

It was a phenomenal swim from the 16-year-old, who recorded a time of 8:39.65 and was also awarded the Brigadier Godfrey de Vere Welchman Memorial trophy.

She wasn’t the only swimmer to set a new lifetime best, with City of Sheffield’s Ava Cook (8:42.82) improving her best ever time by eight seconds to secure the silver medal.

In an earlier heat, Chelmsford’s Cait Cotter set an impressive time of 8:46.55 which saw her earn the bronze medal.

Ingram gets gold

City of Manchester’s Jamie Ingram held on as the athletes charged down the final 25 metres in the Open 100m Individual Medley final.

The 25-year-old claimed his first gold of the competition after Joshua Gammon got the better of him in the butterfly events.

But in this event, the glory was all Ingram’s after his time of 54.15 saw him edge out Alexander Casey of Loughborough University and City of Birmingham’s Benz Lau.

Sam Williamson was the only swimmer to dip under the 56 second mark in the senior final.

The Bath University swimmer narrowly clocked under that with his 55.93 to top the standings. Plymouth Leander’s Leon Mowlem took the second place position and Poole’s Oliver Jones finished third.

Mount Kelly’s Jonathan Turck made it a hat-trick of junior final victories as he continued his fine form at the championships.

He had opened up some space between himself and the remainder of the field as he headed to the wall.

His time stood at 55.32 with Chalfont’s Noah Wheeler and Wycombe’s Marcus Haigh completing the top three.

Third gold for Pryor

Nobody could catch Georgina Pryor in the Female Open 100m Backstroke as she sealed a third gold medal in three different events in Sheffield.

Her victory saw her presented with the gold medal and the Jeans trophy after the Derby Excel swimmer recorded a time of 58.02.

Finishing exactly one second behind Pryor was Loughborough University’s Honey Osrin for silver and Bath University’s Niamh Ward was awarded bronze.

Mia Colyer of Black Lion took the spoils in what was a tight race in the senior final.

There was just 0.30 between first and fourth place, with the winning time set at 1:01.55.

Hackney’s Isabel Iley took second ahead of Loughborough University’s Charlie Jones, with Jones beating Chesterfield’s Annabelle Wilkinson to the touch by 0.03.

The junior final was another close contest as only 0.01 separated Derby’s Anna Tyers and Cockermouth’s Amber Rigg.

Tyers finished on the right side of the result with a time of 1:01.07 and Taunton Deane’s Laura-Ann Marshman earned a place in the top three.

Morgan makes it two British junior records

There were four medals awarded in the Open 200m Breaststroke final after a tie for bronze.

However, there was no sharing the gold for Harvey Freeman of Loughborough University, who touched home in 2:09.76.

The swimmers occupying the centre lanes all turned together as they headed for the home straight, but the 19-year-old powered to the wall and was awarded the DR Morgan Dockrell trophy alongside his gold medal.

City of Norwich swimmer Olivier Vedrenne added another silver medal to his tally with his time of 2:10.23.

Freeman’s teammate, Alexander Casey, was one of those to collect bronze and City of Sheffield’s Ryan Griffiths joined him on the podium to receive his bronze medal. Both athletes finished in a time of 2:10.28.

In the senior final, Bath University’s Luis Weekes (2:13.38) just pipped West Norfolk’s Freddie Laws to the finish by 0.03 as the pair took gold and silver respectively.

Coming in at 2:13.54 for a third placed finish was Bromley’s Matthew Rogers.

Max Morgan took over a second off the previous British junior record of 2:12.89 to win the junior final.

It was Morgan’s second new British junior record of the competition after his performance in the 100m Breaststroke on day three.

The battle for second and third was won by City of Liverpool’s Joseph Ashley, meaning Bracknell’s Oliver Munn finished in third.

Robinson races away

Sienna Robinson continued the success for Loughborough University as she set a new personal best time on her way to Female Open 100m Breaststroke gold, and the George Fryer Memorial trophy.

The 18-year-old opened up a small gap between herself and the eventual silver medallist, Elizabeth Booker of Loughborough PC.

Robinson’s time was 1:05.87 and Booker came home in 1:07.25. Jana Spinner also got her hands on another medal with bronze in a time of 1:08.21.

Nellie Clark of Birmingham University was the victor in the senior final with a time of 1:09.17.

Isle of Man’s Laura Kinley finished in second place and in third, with a new seasons best time, was Hatfield’s Ashley Ransome.

Leicester Sharks swimmer Anna Farr took the win from out in lane eight in the junior final.

All of the top three went sub 1:10 for the first time, but Farr had the edge on Jasmine Carter and Gabrielle Idle-Beavers.

The 16-year-old managed a time of 1:09.30, which was 0.03 ahead of Basildon Phoenix swimmer Carter. Following closely behind in third was Mount Kelly’s Idle-Beavers.

Smiles all round for Grace

City of Manchester’s Grace Robinson was all smiles at the finish as she realised she had earned her first gold medal of the championships.

She already had two silvers to her name, but a total of 826 points in the Female MC 100m Breaststroke final meant she topped the standings.

Brock Whiston (1:15.98) smashed her own British record in the SB9 category as she earned the silver medal with a total of 806 points.

In third was 16-year-old Swindon swimmer Ella Williams with 597 points.

Glittering gold for Guy

The fastest female race of the championships, the Open 50m Freestyle, went to Bristol’s Rebecca Guy.

Her time of 24.58 was enough to win gold and receive the Jock Young trophy.

Guildford’s Darcy Revitt (24.85) and Loughborough University’s Harriet Rogers (25.02) occupied the remaining medal places.

Although she finished outside the top three, there was a special swim from Repton’s Hannah Capron.

The 14-year-old was just two tenths of a second outside the British junior record with her time of 25.33.

A personal best performance from Sophie De Groot of Loughborough University meant she was victorious in the senior final.

She clocked a time of 25.38 to finish ahead of Bath University’s Jana Spinner in second and Mount Kelly’s Beth Hall in third.

In the junior final, it was Guildford’s Jessica Harmer who came out on top in 25.69.

The next to finish was City of Birmingham’s Bethan Cooke, followed by Rushmoor’s Jessica Humm.

Lambert leads the way

There was one second between S9 swimmers Evie Lambert and Brooklyn Hale in the Female Open MC 50m Freestyle final.

Borough of Kirklees swimmer, Lambert, was the faster of the two with a time of 30.91 and collated 759 points to win gold and the national title.

Cockermouth’s Hale received 690 points and the silver medal, followed by RTW Monson’s Fern Sneddon in third with 650 points.

Catchpole tops the podium

Jordan Catchpole got the better of his St Felix School teammate, William Ellard, in the final event of the day – the Open MC 100m Backstroke.

The pair pushed each other all the way and only 0.01 could separate them at the finish, but Catchpole was the one to top the podium.

917 points was enough to seal gold, with Ellard collecting 912 points and the silver medal and the ever-present Timon Chapman taking bronze with 808 points.

You can find all the results from day four of the GoCardless Swim England National Winter Championships 2023 here.

Images: Will Johnston Photography