What A Blast For Britain
2008-04-11
Craig Lord
The host nation capitalised on its Olympic trials taper to lift nine medals, including a gold in a tally than saw 14 British, three European and three Commonwealth records fall to GBR in a day

Britain has never seen the like: nine medals, among them a gold for Kris Gilchrist, in one night at a world short-course championships, the tally including 14 British records (six of those set in morning heats), three European and three Commonwealth records. One of those efforts stood out on the clock beyond all others: 17-year-old Elizabeth Simmonds raced inside the previous world record in the 200m backstroke but was thwarted by Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry, who set a breathtaking global mark of 2min 00.91sec.

The US-based Zimbabwean's effort was one of five world records to fall at the temporary pool sunk into the MEN Arena in Manchester, every one of the new marks set by a swimmer wearing the Speedo LZR Racer suit that is the subject of a crisis meeting between suit makers and FINA, the international governing body, at the Town Hall here Saturday. Rival suit makers are questioning the approval of a suit that has now helped swimmers set 26 world records, long and short-course since Coventry set the 200m backstroke mark in a 50m pool on February 16 in the week that the LZR was launched.

After Simmonds, in a European and Commonwealth mark of 2:02.60, and Francesca Halsall, 18 today, claimed silver medals behind rivals who will arrive in Beijing among favourites for Olympic titles, Gilchrist, 24, raised the roof when he became the first British winner of the 200m breaststroke crown since Olympic medallist Nick Gillingham lifted the inaugural title in 1993. In 2:06.18, Gilchrist claimed gold by just 0.03sec ahead of Igor Borysik, of Ukraine, with South African William Diering third in 2:06.85.

Gilchrist, coached by Fred Vergnoux in Edinburgh, had barely stopped panting by the time Robbie Renwick and Joanne Jackson set British records of 3:40.22 and 4:01.10 respectively, to lift bronze in the men's and women's 400m freestyle. Next up was Mark Foster, whose 21.31sec in the 50m freestyle was good enough for silver and a terrific time for a man of 37 - but Duje Draganja, the Olympic silver medallist from Croatia and coached by Mike Bottom at The Race Club in the US, was there to remind the former champion that times move on: his 20.81 blast shaved 0.12sec off the standard that had stood to absent Swede Stefan Nystrand since November.

Within 15 minutes, the Britain tally stood at nine medals. Liam Tancock and James Goddard claimed silver and bronze in the 200m medley, Tancock's 1:53.10 a Commonwealth record behind a world record of 1:51.56 to Ryan Lochte (USA). Tancock had earlier set a European and Commonwealth record of 23.41 in the semi-final of the 50m backstroke.

A phenomenal evening came to a close with a bronze and European record of 3:53.02 for the national 4x100m medley quartet. Simmonds set a British record of 58.10sec leading off on backstroke, Kate Haywood and Jemma Lowe following through before Halsall closed the gap on the aquatic superpowers with the second-fastest 100m freestyle relay split ever recorded, of 51.56, 0.03sec slower than the record of Marleen Veldhuis. The relay saw the US set a world record of 3:51.36, with Australia on a Commonwealth record of 3:52.01 for silver.

The flying Dutchwoman kept Halsall at bay with a championship record of 52.17 in the 100m freestyle but Halsall was delighted with what was her third national freestyle record, of 52.79, in 36 hours, after efforts of 53.24 and 53.20 in heats and semi-finals.

After three of the five days of racing, the Britain team has 16 medals in its treasury, three of them gold. That, in part, reflects the level of entry at this meet but there is no denying the quantum leap that Britain has enjoyed in the past two weeks among established seniors and the Smart Track squad of Simmonds, Halsall, Lowe and the like, hand-picked by former performances director Bill Sweetenham long before he left the isle prematurely.