Lifetime best for Sarah Vasey on final day of British Swimming Selection Trials

Loughborough’s Sarah Vasey achieved a new lifetime best as the top two in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke finish under the Olympic consideration time at the British Swimming Selection Trials.

On the final day of the trials, Vasey and fellow Loughborough swimmer Molly Renshaw needed to finish under 1:06.79 for Tokyo consideration.

A time of 1:06.37 was just shy of the British record and saw Vasey take first place followed by her teammate in second, as Renshaw swam a new personal best to touch the wall in 1:06.72. Kara Hanlon of Edinburgh was in third with 1:08.00.

Vasey said: “It’s been a really long and hard week I’m not going to lie and I was really nervous this morning because I just had no idea how I was going to go.

“Then tonight I was just excited to race and it’s amazing to do it with Molly [Renshaw] and Abbie [Wood] as well.

“I feel like this season I’ve learnt a lot about my race craft and to kind of use that first 50 as easy speed and we’ve done so much work on that second 50 and I’m just so glad it’s paid off now.”

Renshaw said: “I’m really happy, I knew Sarah [Vasey] would go out fast so I tried to stick with her as much as I could on the first 50.

“I’m just completely rooting for Sarah, she’s been waiting around all week for this I’m so glad she’s done it.”

Top two fastest times in the world this year

The Men’s 200m Freestyle final was littered with stars after five swimmers went inside the Olympic consideration time during the heats.

Duncan Scott of the University of Stirling and Bath’s Tom Dean battled it out, both achieving the top two fastest times in the world this year.

It was also another British record for Scott as he finished on top (1:44.47) with Dean in a close second place (1:44.58). Both swimmers beat the previous British record time of 1:44.90.

Fellow Bath swimmer Matthew Richards was the next to touch the wall, recording a time of 1:45.77 which places him as the eighth fastest in the world this year.

Both James Guy and Calum Jarvis were also under the Olympic consideration time.

On his race, Scott said: “I’m delighted with the time obviously but I think just to get the win in that sort of field is really good.

“First 200 Freestyle tapered since August 2019 so it’s been a while. I believe Deano’s missed the 1:45’s, I believe he went 1:46 to 1:44 so fair play to him. But it’s looking really good for our 4×200 so if we can just carry this on it’ll be great.”

Dean said: “I’m absolutely buzzing. Skipped straight past that 1:45, wasn’t expecting, I would’ve been happy with a 1:45 but I think Duncan [Scott] just pulled me through there and feels like it’s been a long time coming.

“I knew I was on good form. I knew something special was going to happen but that was better than I could’ve ever expected.”

Hopkin fastest ever at this point in season

Anna Hopkin won the Women’s 50m Freestyle in 24.79 seconds, just outside the consideration time of 24.60.

It was a tie for second place between Brompton’s Isabella Hindley and Edinburgh’s Lucy Hope, with both swimmers clocking a time of 25.13.

Hopkin said: “I’m pretty happy with that swim, I think that’s the fastest I’ve ever been outside a worlds.

“I’m definitely the fastest I’ve ever been at this point in the season so to be able to just step on a little bit from the heat and put on a really solid time, I’m pretty happy with that.”

Greenbank disappointed but takes the win

Luke Greenbank finished one tenth of a second outside the consideration time in the Men’s 200m Backstroke but has already been pre-selected for Tokyo.

Greenbank managed a time of 1:56.70 to finish first, followed by his teammate Elliot Clogg who achieved a lifetime best of 1:57.77 to make it another Loughborough 1-2.

Bath National Centre swimmer Brodie Williams was in third, finishing in a time of 1:58.76.

Greenbank said: “I’m a little bit disappointed with the times I’m not going to lie, the training I’ve been doing coming into this was the best I’ve ever been but I suffered an ankle sprain a couple of weeks ago so it’s been a massively disrupted taper.

“But it’s a good opportunity to get some racing in, would’ve like to have gone a lot faster but it is what it is.”

‘This is my dream’ says Jervis

Swansea University’s Dan Jervis comfortably went under the Olympic consideration time as he won the Men’s 1500m Freestyle.

Despite also winning the 800m Freestyle on day two of the trials, Jervis just missed the consideration time, but he was more than four seconds under this time around.

The consideration time was 14:55.91 heading into the race, with Jervis achieving a time of 14:51.49.

In second place and just outside the consideration time was Loughborough’s Tobias Robinson who touched the wall in 15:01.35, followed by Luke Turley of the Bath National Centre in third (15:07.71).

On achieving the consideration time, Jervis said: “You only have to know me for five seconds to know that this is my dream. Ever since I was a young boy I’ve only ever wanted to be an Olympian, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.

“I was really happy with the time but honestly, I don’t really care about that, all I care about is the fact my family back home just watched me have the consideration time for the Olympic Games.

“Everyone who’s ever supported me knows how much that would’ve meant to me and thank you guys, I appreciate that so much.”

Close finish between Crisp and Charles-Barclay

It was a fantastic race in the Women’s 1500m Freestyle with just 17 one-hundredths of a second between first and second place.

Leah Crisp of the Bath National Centre took the top spot in a time of 16:46.09 but triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay pushed her all the way.

Charles-Barclay of Epping Forest was very impressive, finishing in 16:46.26 with Loughborough’s Emily Clarke taking third place with her time of 17:01.43.