Great Britain make finals debut at World Short Course Championships

The first finals session of the 2021 FINA World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi saw a British presence in four events.

Max Litchfield opened up the evening’s session for Team GB, racing in lane 2 in the Men’s 400m Freestyle.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympian was just off his time from the heats (3:39.34) in the finals with a time of 3:39.45 in what was a stacked field.

Also on the men’s side, a team consisting of Tom Dean, Ed Mildred, Matt Richards and Ben Proud competed in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay and claimed sixth overall.

A strong lead-off from Dean saw him clocking 47.35 in the first leg, setting up teammate Proud nicely who carried on the momentum for the team.

Mildred followed up in third while Richards anchored the relay, touching home in a time of 3:10.19.

Next up in the pool for Great Britain was 17-year-old Katie Shanahan who raced the final of the Women’s 400m Individual Medley.

The Scottish athlete shaved 0.07 off her time from the heats to finish eighth overall in the final, the first major international final of her career.

She posted a time of 4:32.68 in the final while swimming alongside medley veterans such as Melanie Margalis (USA) and Tessa Cieplucha (CAN).

Duncan Scott, who cemented his place in history earlier this year as Great Britain’s most successful Olympic swimmer ever, finished seventh overall in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley.

The Scotsman was just outside his time from the heats (1:53.74) in the final as he stopped the clock at 1:54.08.