Peters followed up his 100m butterfly one-two with British Swimming Performance Centre Bath training partner James Guy by recording the fastest time in the world this year in Sunday’s stacked 50m butterfly final.

Going in lane five, Peters’ start saw him level with University of Bath Swimming Club’s Ben Proud – who had won the 50m freestyle title the previous day – at the front of the field before he pulled away to take gold in 22.89.

“That has shocked me a little bit actually!” said Peters, whose winning times were both within the consideration time for this summer’s World Championships in Japan. “I’d done the job in the 100m so it was time to let loose, see what I’d got and how fast can you go!

“We’ll see what happens out in Japan but I’m really looking forward to it and it’s definitely given me a lot of confidence moving forward.”

Peters had led from the front in Friday’s 100m final and set a new personal best of 51.16 as he held off a late charge from silver-medallist Guy to claim his first British title.

Anderson, also coached by David McNulty at the Team Bath Sports Training Village, was another Bath Performance Centre swimmer to record a new PB as she struck 200m freestyle gold in 1:55.89, mighty close to the British record.

She then went under the world consideration time again in an enthralling 100m freestyle final, overhauling University of Bath alumna Anna Hopkin – winner of the 50m freestyle title – in the last 25m to claim victory by four-hundredths of a second.

“It’s nice to get that 100m title back and it was a quicker time than I expected, so I’m really happy,” said Anderson. “I had to remain calm because last year’s trials weren’t the best for me but you just have to trust the process, trust my coach Dave and all the team around me who work so hard. You just see me on the blocks, but there is a team of hundreds who have helped me get there.”

There was another thrilling finish in the 200m individual medley final as Bill Whiteley Sporting Scholar Dean came out on top in another excellent battle with Duncan Scott by 0.07secs, his winning time of 1:56.65 again being withing the worlds consideration standard.

Dean was then involved in an epic 200m freestyle final on Sunday, the Olympic champion finishing runner-up to former training partner Matt Richards in 1:44.93. Guy completed the podium in 1:45.85 for his second medal of the week.

“That was a world-class final,” said Dean. “Two boys doing 1:44s, we haven’t had that since Olympic Trials in 2021 when Duncan and I did it and then we went on to win the 4x200m free at the Olympic Games with Matt, Jimmy, Duncan and Jarv [Calum Jarvis].”

One of the surprise wins of the week came from Sports Performance student Joshua Gammon, coached by Andrei Vorontsov, who stunned the field in the 200m butterfly with a three-second personal best from lane seven.

“It was a bit unexpected,” said Gammon, who was also sixth in high-quality 50m and 100m finals. “I just cleaned it up a little bit, sorted my technique out, my turns and other little things and it paid off which is brilliant.”

Sports Performance graduate Luke Turley was also celebrating his first British title after a brilliant battle with Kieran Bird in the 400m freestyle, just three-tenths of a second separating the Bath Performance Centre team-mates.

“Those last few metres, it was hurting quite a lot but just have to hold on for dear life,” said Turley who also won 800m freestyle silver.

Other medals were won by Ivor Powell Sporting Scholar Cameron Brooker (100m backstroke silver, 50m backstroke bronze); Santander Scholar Leah Crisp (400m freestyle silver); Brodie Williams (200m backstroke silver); and Management graduate William Ryley (400m IM silver).

The Olympic-sized London 2012 Legacy Pool where the University of Bath-based swimmers train is also open for public use. Visit teambath.com/swimming to see the swim-fit timetable.

With thanks to the Team Bath Press Office

The University of Bath has a rich history when it comes to modern pentathlon with Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre being based at the university since 1998. In the following 18 years, 5 Olympic medals have returned to the university, starting with Dr Steph Cook’s gold and Kate Allenby’s bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

In addition to becoming British Champion, the men’s and women’s winners of the British Modern Pentathlon Championships will be selected for the 2017 Senior European Championships to be held in Minsk.

The Junior British Champion (ages 19-21) will be selected for the 2017 Junior European Championships which will take place in Barcelona.

The Championships will be open for the public to watch with spectator initiatives planned to encourage people to both watch and try a new sport.

The British Modern Pentathlon Championships headline a busy domestic calendar with The British Youth Pentathlon Championships being held on the 24th & 25th June in Solihull, the home of many of our competitions. The Youth Pentathlon Championships will see many stars of the future in action with athletes aged from 11-18 competing to try and become British Champion in their respective age groups. The popular Masters age category (35+) will also compete on the same weekend.

With Pentathlon GB the governing body for events in modern biathlon, modern triathlon, modern tetrathlon, biathle, triathle and laser-run as well as modern pentathlon, there are numerous other British Championships to be held in 2017.

The first of these will be the British Schools’ Modern Biathlon Championships at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on the 25th & 26th March. The Schools’ Biathlon Championships will see around 1,500 athletes of school age competing in a separate swim and run competition format, an exciting introduction to multi-discipline sports. The Championships are the culmination of the 2016-2017 modern biathlon series with athletes qualifying for the event at preliminary competitions throughout the country last autumn.

Modern triathlon involves swimming followed by a combined laser-run and the 2017 British Championships will be held at Tudor Grange Leisure Centre in Solihull on Saturday 30th September and Sunday 1st October. The British Modern Tetrathlon Championships, which includes adding the fencing discipline to the modern triathlon, will be held at the same venue on 22nd & 23rd April.

The British Biathle Championships, which have now become a core part of the Pentathlon GB calendar, will be held at Salford Quays on Sunday 30th July. Following a successful inaugural event last year, the British Triathle Championships remain at Leweston School in Dorset – a Pentathlon GB Academy – and will be held on Sunday 9th July. GB athletes have performed extremely well in these two formats internationally in recent years, including at the 2016 World Championships where the team claimed 23 medals to finish 3rd in the medal table.

The final National Championships of 2017 will be the British Modern Biathlon Championships on 25th & 26th November at Tudor Grange Leisure Centre. The Championships will form part of the 2017-18 Modern Biathlon Series and see athletes of all ages competing for the coveted title of British Champion.

Report courtesy of Pentathlon GB

Fourteen medals in total are coming back to the Sports Training Village after a meeting where three British Swimming National Centre Bath athletes – O’Connor, Jazz Carlin and Andrew Willis – set the Rio 2016 Olympic qualification standard.

A host of students in Mark Skimming’s training group also impressed, with Anna Hopkin and Jay Lelliott both earning podium places at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre.

Sunday’s action saw O’Connor – fresh from booking her Rio place in the 200m individual medley – pull away in the final length to win 100m breaststroke gold in 1:07.15, just outside the Olympic consideration time.

“I was really going for that 100m breaststroke,” said O’Connor, who also won 100m freestyle gold on Friday.

“It’s been a good meet and I was happy to get three golds. I was slightly disappointed with some swims and happier with others but that’s what it’s like at a British Championships.”

O’Connor missed out on a fourth medal in the 100m butterfly, where she was pipped to a podium place by training partner Lowe. She in turn was less than three-tenths of a second behind gold-medalist Alys Thomas.

Joe Hulme – also coached by Dave McNulty and Graeme Antwhistle at the National Centre Bath – continued his fine week by reaching the 200m backstroke final, where he finished fifth.

With the racing concluded, British Swimming selectors will now put together the squad to represent Team GB at this summer’s Olympic Games, with eight swimmers having met the qualification standard during the week.

The team will be announced at the University of Bath Sports Training Village London 2012 Legacy Pool on Thursday.

University of Bath roll of honour

Gold: Jazz Carlin (200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle); Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley); Lizzie Simmonds (200m backstroke); Chris Walker-Hebborn (100m backstroke); Andrew Willis (200m breaststroke).

Silver: Anna Hopkin (50m freestyle); Lizzie Simmonds (100m backstroke).

Bronze: Jay Lelliott (200m butterfly, 400m freestyle); Jemma Lowe (100m butterfly).

Report courtesy of Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd

Both Carlin and O’Connor, who train with the British Swimming National Centre Bath, set the Olympic consideration time for their events as they won gold in the 400m freestyle and 200m individual medley respectively.

It was third time lucky for Carlin, who has also won freestyle gold over 200m and 800m this week but missed out on the guaranteed qualification time.

“It was my last event and I wanted to put everything into it,” said Carlin, who touched the wall in 4:04.33. “It was a great race and a strong field, I am absolutely over the moon.

“I have put pressure on myself and I wanted to do my best. I have been trying to relax and think about the race. I tried to remember back to when I was a little girl, I just used to race.”

While Carlin is heading for her first Olympic Games, training partner O’Connor is set for her second after controlling the 200m IM final throughout to win in 2:09.66.

“I have just tried to come in and be really relaxed – it is good to have nerves but sometimes too many nerves can be a detriment,” said O’Connor, who is coached by Dave McNulty and Graeme Antwhistle.

“I have tried to really relax and focus on all the hard work I have done. I wanted to get a little bit closer to my best so I have few things to work on.

“It was absolutely amazing to win a World medal [in this event] last year and that gave me a lot of confidence. It is going to take a lot of work to better that.”

O’Connor, who also won 100m freestyle gold on Friday, will be going for two more medals on Sunday as she contests both the 100m breaststroke and 100m butterfly.

Joe Hulme is also back in the Tollcross International Swimming Centre pool on Sunday in the 200m backstroke, a day after showing his 2020 Olympic Games potential by winning the Target Tokyo men’s 200m IM final in 2:02.23.

Mechanical and Electrical Engineering student Miles Munro, part of University Head Swimming Coach Mark Skimming’s training group, has also had a good week in Scotland and reached the main final of the 50m freestyle, finishing seventh in 22.77.

There was disappointment for training partner Jay Lelliott, though, as he had to withdraw from the 1,500m freestyle final due to illness. The Sports Performance student and Santander Sports Scholar was looking for a third medal, having won bronze in both the 400m freestyle and 200m butterfly.

The British Swimming Championships conclude on Sunday, with Team GB announcing the Rio 2016 Olympic squad at the University of Bath Sports Training Village on Thursday.

Report courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

Andrew Willis (Photo: Sam Farr for Matchtight)

Chemical Engineering graduate Willis produced a brilliant swim in his specialist 200m breaststroke event.  Willis is a finalist at every major international championship since 2010, including the London 2012 Olympics, but knew he faced an immense challenge to qualify for Rio in a field which also included triple World Champion Adam Peaty, World 100m bronze-medalist Ross Murdoch and Olympic silver-medalist Michael Jamieson.

Peaty went out hard from the start and turned first but Willis, coached by Dave McNulty and Graeme Antwhistle, sat on his shoulder and at the halfway point made his move.

He went on take the gold medal in 2:08.08, which is under the Olympic consideration time, meaning a second Games now awaits.

“It means so much to me,” said Willis. “I don’t know what to think really. I wanted it, I knew I had to stick to my own plan so I’m dead happy. It’s great to beat those guys tonight, I thought Ross might be a bit closer near the end but it is so hard. “It’s such a great feeling and that is only going to help us, especially as a nation, to progress at the big meets as well.”

Sports Performance graduate Jamieson was fifth, while current National Centre Bath swimmer Charlie Attwood was runner-up in the Target Tokyo final for aspiring 2020 Olympians.

Lizzie Simmonds (Photo: Sam Farr for Matchtight)

O’Connor got her British Championships campaign off to a winning start as she retained her 100m freestyle title in 54.18.

“I’ve been watching the racing and I’ve enjoyed cheering everyone on but it was good for me to be the one racing today,” said O’Connor, who races in her specialist event, the 200m individual medley, on Saturday.

“I’m happy with that 100m free and it’s great to see what Andrew just did, that was amazing.”

University of Bath student Anna Hopkin, part of Mark Skimming’s training group, followed up her superb silver in the 50m freestyle by finishing a fine fourth behind O’Connor – just five-hundredths of a second off another podium place.

Lizzie Simmonds upgraded her silver in the 100m backstroke to gold over 200m after a dominant second half to Friday’s final, which she won in 2:09.24.

“I am pleased with that swim, it was a real solid performance from me,” she said. “I stuck to my race plan and it was a definite step in the right direction from the 100m earlier in the week.

“There is a lot of pressure at this event, it is a different atmosphere. I would have liked to have gone a bit quicker but I am pleased with the performance.”

Natural Sciences student Shauntelle Austin, a Bill Whiteley Sports Scholar, was fifth in the Target Tokyo final.

University of Bath-based swimmers have now won ten medals –six of them gold – at the British Championships, which continue on Saturday and Sunday.

The Team GB swimming squad for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be announced at the University of Bath Sports Training Village on Thursday (April 21).

Report courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

Another rising star, Anna Hopkin, won 50m freestyle silver to take the tally of medals for University of Bath-based swimmers to seven with three days of competition still to go.

Carlin, who struck 200m freestyle gold on the opening day, led throughout the 16 lengths of the Tollcross International Swimming Centre Pool on Thursday as she won 800m freestyle gold in 8:27.49.

That was outside the time needed to guarantee qualification for Rio 2016 and Carlin – coached by Dave McNulty and Graeme Antwhistle at the British Swimming National Centre Bath – admitted the pressure of chasing her Olympic debut had affected her performance.

“It’s something I’m trying to work on, trying to stay relaxed, but obviously it does get to everyone,” said Carlin, who will be looking to complete a golden hat-trick in the 400m freestyle on Saturday.

“It’s been a tough couple of weeks and I put a lot of pressure on myself to not miss out on the Olympics.

“I would like to have gone a bit faster and be close to my best time but you know what, I came in and did the best that I could and that’s all I can ask of myself. I have a day off now so I can relax, chill out and come back fighting on Saturday.”

While Carlin specialises in long-distance freestyle, student Hopkin excels in the ‘splash and dash’ 50m event and continued her impressive season by taking silver behind 11-times British champion Fran Halsall in 25.39.

Engineering student Munro – who, like Hopkin, is part of University Head Swimming Coach Mark Skimming’s training group – produced a strong performance to win the Target Tokyo men’s 100m freestyle final for swimmers with the potential to compete at the 2020 Games.

Sports Performance graduate Calum Jarvis was fifth in the main 100m freestyle final in 49.56.

Double Olympian Jemma Lowe finished just outside the medals in a mighty-close women’s 200m butterfly, her time of 2:09.73 being less than a second behind winner Aimee Wilmott.

Natural Sciences student Shauntelle Austin, supported by a Bill Whiteley Sports Scholarship, was sixth in the Target Tokyo final for the same event in 2:14.29.

Matthew Johnson, a Sports Performance student, raced in his second final of the week and finished sixth in 4:23.12.

The action continues on Friday, where Chemical Engineering graduate Andrew Willis and fellow London 2012 Olympian Siobhan-Marie O’Connor will be looking to secure their places in the team for Rio.

Team GB will officially announce the swimming squad for this summer’s Olympic Games at the University of Bath Sports Training Village next Thursday (April 21).

Report courtesy of Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

Chris Walker-Hebborn (Photo: Sam Farr for Matchtight)

Chris Walker-Hebborn won a fourth successive gold in the men’s 100m backstroke, although it was a victory tinged with disappointment as he narrowly missed out on the time needed to guarantee a place at the Rio 2016 Games.

Fellow London 2012 Olympian Lizzie Simmonds, who also trains with the British Swimming National Centre Bath, was runner-up in the equivalent women’s race and Sports Performance student Jay Lelliott won his second bronze medal of the week, this time in the 200m butterfly.

Simmonds won silver in the women’s 100m backstroke final in a time of 1:02.00, with victory going to Commonwealth and European champion Georgia Davies.

Walker-Hebborn, part of the British 4x100m mixed medley relay team that won World gold last year, clocked a winning time of 53.73 in his final – just outside his target of 52.99. He now has to wait and see whether he will be selected for Team GB.

“I am happy to come away with the win and will try to look at the positives but there is a lot to work on and it is time to reassess,” said Walker-Hebborn, who is coached by Dave McNulty and Graeme Antwhistle.

“I was definitely too tense going in, I got caught up in the moment and didn’t swim my own race. That’s not always a bad thing but it’s something I’ve got to try and work on.

“I lost my legs in the last 25m. I don’t know if that was the occasion or my fitness. A lot of things are up in the air but hopefully I’ll come back swinging.”

Training partner Joe Hulme was sixth in 55.47.

Santander Sports Scholar Lelliott, fresh from winning 400m freestyle bronze on the opening day, again had to settle for third place in a mighty-close 200m butterfly final.

Just three-tenths of a second separated the podium places, with Adam Mallett coming through in the closing stages to pip Mark Szaranek and Lelliott – coached by Mark Skimming – to gold in 1:58.02. Matthew Johnson was sixth in 1:59.94.

Thursday’s action sees Jazz Carlin going for her second gold of the week in the 800m freestyle – she was the fastest qualifier in Wednesday’s heats. Her final starts at 6.30pm.

The British Championships continue until Sunday. Tickets for the British Swimming Championships are on sale at here  or you can follow the action live here.

Report courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

Carlin, one of many British Swimming National Centre Bath athletes in action at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre this week, was victorious in a hard-fought 200m freestyle final.

Just two seconds separated the front five, with Carlin being pushed all the way by Eleanor Faulkner and Georgia Coates before touching the wall first in 1:57.62.

That was outside the Olympic qualification time but it was a good start to the week for Carlin, whose strongest events – including the 800m freestyle on Wednesday – are yet to come.

“I have a lot of experience but I still get nervous and anxious before I race, so to come away with a win tonight is a great start to the week,” she said.

“It’s the Olympic Trials and I would love to qualify for my first Olympics, so it’s a really exciting week but there is obviously a lot of pressure as well.

“I’m taking things one step at a time. I obviously have dreams and hopes but hopefully this week I will be able to get on that plane to Rio.”

Sports Performance student Lelliott, part of Mark Skimming’s training group at the University, also began a busy week on the podium after finishing third in the 400m freestyle final.

World University Games champion Lelliott, supported by a Santander Sports Scholarship, clocked 3:47.68 in a race won by James Guy, who set the Olympic qualification time. Stephen Milne was runner-up.

A high-quality men’s 100m breaststroke final saw Chemical Engineering graduate Andrew Willis and Charlie Attwood – both coached by Dave McNulty and Graeme Antwhistle at the National Centre Bath – finish fifth and sixth respectively, just ahead of Sports Performance graduate Michael Jamieson.

Victory went to triple World Champion Adam Peaty. All of them will be in action again on Friday in the 200m breaststroke, which is Willis’s specialist event.

Among the other University of Bath-based rowers racing on the opening day were Matthew Johnson, who was 14^th overall in the men’s 400m freestyle; Anne Bochmann, who was 11^th overall in the women’s 200m freestyle; and International Development with Economics student Emily Siebrecht, a Santander Sporting Scholar who was 15^th in the women’s 400m IM.

Lily West also competed in the latter discipline and finished seventh in the Tokyo Target final, open to swimmers who are considered to have potential for the 2020 Olympic Games.

The British Championships continue until Sunday. Tickets for the British Swimming Championships are on sale here  or you can follow the action live here.

Report courtesy of Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

Above photo of Jazz Carlin by Matchtight.