Freya Anderson and University of Bath alumna Anna Hopkin helped British Swimming secure their final medal of the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatic Championships in Japan in record-breaking style.
Closer to home, Kieran Bird and Joshua Gammon won double gold and Jemima Hall claimed a medal of each colour as University of Bath-based swimmers enjoyed an excellent British Summer Championships 2023 in Sheffield.
After narrowly missing out on the podium in the women’s 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays in Fukuoka, British Swimming Performance Centre Bath athlete Anderson anchored the mixed 4x100m freestyle quartet to a bronze medal in 3:21.68, a new British and European record.
It was Britain’s first-ever World Championships medal in the event, a second World medal of her career for Anderson and a first for Sport and Exercise Science graduate Hopkin. They were joined in the quartet by former Bath-based swimmer Matt Richards and Duncan Scott.
University of Bath sporting scholar Tom Dean also received bronze after helping Britain qualify through the morning’s heats. It was his fourth medal of the week following his 4x200m freestyle relay gold, 200m freestyle silver and 200m individual medley bronze.
Ben Proud, who represents the University of Bath Swimming Club, returned to the podium for a fourth successive major international competition by winning 50m freestyle bronze.
Meanwhile, at the British Summer Championships, British Swimming Performance Centre Bath swimmer Bird claimed victory in both the 200m freestyle (1:48.87) and 400m freestyle (3:53.24), while Sports Performance student Gammon stormed to butterfly gold over 50m (23.53) and 100m (52.20). He narrowly missed out on a hat-trick of titles, having to settle for silver in the 200m butterfly (1:58.16).
Jemima Hall – Photograph Team Bath
Business student Hall – who, like Gammon, is coached by Andrei Vorontsov with the University of Bath Swimming Club – had a busy but successful week of freestyle competition as she won 200m gold (2:00.39), silver over 100m (55.91) and 400m (4:15.99), and 50m bronze (25.87).
She also placed sixth in a 100m backstroke race that saw training partner Niamh Ward win bronze (1:01.45) to add to her 200m backstroke silver (2:12.16). Ward missed out on a third medal in the 50m final by just one-hundredth of a second (28.90).
Fresh from making her World Championships in Japan, Economics and Mathematics student Leah Crisp – supported by a Santander Scholarship – won 800m freestyle gold (8:41.97) and 1,500m freestyle bronze (16:44.18).
There were four medals for Oscar Barlow in the men’s 18-years finals – silver in the 200m backstroke (2:04.10), 200m individual medley (2:05.99) and 400m IM (4:28.94) plus bronze in the 100m backstroke (57.76).
Sport and Exercise Science student Ekaterina Price was fourth in the 200m butterfly and Economics student Miles Drabwell was fifth in both the 200m IM (2:03.40) and 200m backstroke (2:03.41). Tobi Sijuade (22.95) and Reid Jones (22.97), in his last race for the University, were sixth and seventh respectively in the 50m freestyle.
Visit teambath.com/swimming to find out more about the swimming programme at the University of Bath, including the public swim-fit timetable for the Olympic-sized pool.
With thanks to Team Bath
