British para swimmers have made the perfect start to 2024 by topping the medal standings in the first round of the City Para Swimming World Series in Aberdeen.
The Games concluded on Sunday after four days of thrilling racing at Aberdeen Sports Village, with British swimmers winning 22 medals.
Great Britain won six gold, seven silver and nine bronze medals at the Games, with at least one British representative on more than half of the 24 podiums over the four days.
One of the stars of the event in Aberdeen was William Ellard, who won two golds and one silver.
The S14 swimmer had a great week, setting a lifetime best time in the freestyle on opening night and winning both the open/men’s 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly titles.
He improved his time by 0.2 seconds to a time of 51.76, earning a massive score of 972 and taking the crown.
Ellard then set the fastest time in the 200m freestyle, which was enough to earn him a silver medal in the multi-weight standings behind S3’s Dimitri Grandjux (France).
Cameron Burncombe achieved his second podium for a British man in third place, finishing just behind Ellard, and the two moved up the ranks to first and second in the 100m butterfly.
This time Ellard won his third medal of the competition with a time of 57.10, beating the British S14 duo by just 0.26 seconds. Burncomb also won a silver medal in the 200m individual medley.
Looking back on the tournament, Ellard said: “It’s good race practice at this stage of the season and the coach came with me. I would like to thank him for traveling to Aberdeen, providing support during the race and making me feel connected to my hometown. think.
“This helps a lot with race strategy, especially in a Paralympic year knowing these details will help us race well in a long course season and hopefully have a good year.”
Neve’s first World Series gold medal
It was a happy moment for Megan Neve, who won her first World Series gold medal in the women’s MC 100m backstroke.
Neve got off to a strong start, taking the turn first and improving his time from heat to final by more than a second, earning him the gold medal and 910 points.
“I’m thrilled – I literally couldn’t be happier!” Neve said,
“When I look up and see that moment, it feels like all the training I’ve put in has paid off. Last year I was sick and had to spend a lot of time away from the water, so my legs were far behind me, so I worked really hard. But I decided to go back to the sea and do my best.”
In the Open/Men’s event, 18-year-old Mark Tompsett reached the podium in his first international competition.
After the S14 athlete first touched the wall in the final, he won bronze medals in the standings of multiple weight classes.
Still catching his breath after his racing efforts, Tompsett commented: “I feel great. It’s incredible to win my first World Series medal. Backstroke is my main goal event this year and I’ve put a lot of effort into that race.”
I’m really focused on building the team for Paris and from now on we’ll be working hard to perform well in London in April.”
There was also plenty of success at home for Scottish swimmers at the World Series, with Toni Shaw (women’s 400m freestyle) and Faye Rogers (women’s 100m butterfly) helping Britain to further World Series gold medals.
Brock Whiston won silver in the women’s 200m individual medley and bronze in the 100m butterfly, sharing the podium twice with Shaw and once with Rogers.
GB dominated the 400m freestyle and finished on the podium, with Shaw ahead of Rogers and then Whiston.
She also finished faster than Shaw in the individual medley, cutting her time from heat to final by five seconds.
Fidesz wins the 200m freestyle title
Louise Fidesz again won gold in the women’s 200m freestyle, while Poppy Maskill followed home with a bronze medal.
The British duo led from the start, but a late jump from Japan’s Kinoshita separated the pair at the finish.
Regarding the gold medal-winning swim, Fidesz said: “I’m very happy. I would have liked to have gone a little faster, but who wouldn’t be and I’m happy with where I’m at this season.” I had a lot of fun racing Poppy and I’m glad she’s always been there. You know I’ve been there – I enjoy the thrill of racing!”
“The 100m breaststroke is definitely still my number one, but it’s an event I enjoy and I seem to be doing really well, so I still spend plenty of time training. .”
It wasn’t Maskill’s only silver medal in the 100m freestyle. She led the race in the pool, but after her times were converted, she finished just behind Canada’s Aurélie Rivard with a total score of 842.
Paralympic silver medalist Ellie Challis also finished on the podium with a silver medal in the women’s 50m backstroke.
The Manchester Performance Center swimmer said of his swim: “She was pretty decent, but again, she had surgery about three months ago, so looking at her times now, it’s not a big deal.”
Harry Stewart and Rebecca Redfern also finished on the podium in the breaststroke event.
Redfern, the reigning 100m World SB13 champion, won bronze in the multi-weight format, with Stewart matching that in the open/men’s final.
And apart from the medals, the Aberdeen pool proved to be a fast pool for Scarlett Humphrey, winning both the women’s 100m freestyle (1:10.62) and 200m individual medley (2:49.89). He broke the S11 British record twice in one day. She also broke her record in Sunday’s 50 meter freestyle with a time of 31.37 seconds.
In the men’s MC 50m backstroke, Richmond Dale’s Archie Hare set a new S11 British record with a score of 39.16 in the national final, breaking a record that had stood for 20 years.
Citi Para Swimming World Series Inc. Click here for full results from the British Para Swimming Winter Games. You can also rewatch championship races on the British Swimming YouTube channel.
Image: British Swimming