Despite being in heavy training for next month’s Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, British Swimming National Centre Bath swimmer James Guy was able to add two more national titles to his haul.

He was a second clear of the field in the 200m butterfly, clocking 1:58.05, and then claimed his first British 50m butterfly title in 24.24. He also took silver in the 400m freestyle behind University of Bath alumnus and former MJ Church ambassador Jay Lelliott.

“It’s nice to come here and race as part of my preparations for the Commonwealth Games,” said Guy, who is coached at the University of Bath Sports Training Village by Jol Finck.

“It’s great to win but I’m just thinking of long-term goals – Commonwealth Games, the Europeans and, in the long term, the Olympics in Tokyo.”

Chloe Tutton, who last month became the latest Olympian to join the National Centre programme at Bath, was also crowned as double British Champion in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, touching the wall in 1:08.21 and 2:25.69 respectively.

Training partner Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, also coached by Dave McNulty, won silver behind Tutton in the 100m breaststroke on the same evening that she led from start to finish to claim another 200m individual medley gold in 2:12.26.

“I’m really pleased with the swims I have done here and delighted to have won with some amazing girls,” said O’Connor. “It’s been a really good week but now I’m looking forward to going and making my final preparations for the Commonwealth Games”

Olympic and World relay medallist Chris Walker-Hebborn won the British 100m backstroke title in 55.26 and also claimed 50m silver in 25.58.

University of Bath Sports & Exercise Science student Tom Derbyshire, who is supported by a British Swimming Sports Scholarship, was the second-fastest Brit in the 1500m freestyle in 15:19.21 and also claimed 800m freestyle silver behind Lelliott in 8:02.47.

Cameron Kurle won 200m freestyle silver in 1:49.97 and there were a brace of bronze medals for Jess Fullalove in the 100m and 200m backstroke. She clocked 1:01.05 and 2:12.18 respectively in the finals, which were both won by former National Centre Bath swimmer Lizzie Simmonds.

Some swimmers were unable to make the journey to Scotland due to the adverse weather conditions but Team Bath AS were well represented at the international meeting, with impressive junior swimmer Laura McNab reaching the senior 100m freestyle final and finishing sixth overall in 56.66.

The London 2012 Legacy Pool at the University of Bath Sports Training Village is open to the public on a daily basis – you can find more information about how to swim in the same pool as British Champions here.

Lead photo is of double British Champion Chloe Tutton, the latest recruit to the British Swimming National Centre Bath. 

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

The six-day competition, which begins on Tuesday at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, will also determine the British Swimming team for next month’s European Championships in London.

A large contingent from the British Swimming National Centre Bath will be battling for Rio places, including four medalists from last year’s World Championships in Russia – Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Chris Walker-Hebborn, Jazz Carlin and Sports Performance graduate Calum Jarvis.

Andrew Willis (Photo: Sam Farr Matchtight)

Chemical Engineering graduate Andrew Willis will be competing in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, the latter an event in which he has contested every major international final since 2010 including the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The men’s breaststroke is one of the strongest disciplines in British swimming, so Willis – coached by Dave McNulty and Graeme Antwhistle – is expecting plenty of competition for the top-two finish required for Olympic selection.

“I’m under no illusions that I’m probably going to have to swim a personal best at the Trials,” said the 25-year-old.

“But I’m a lot more relaxed about it now – the pressure isn’t so much on me, it’s on the other guys to qualify for their first Olympics. Mentally that puts me in a good place because I can just go to the Trials, enjoy it and do the best I can.”

Unlike his colleagues, Willis did not go on training camp in Australia this winter and instead decided to stay at the Sports Training Village to train in the London 2012 Legacy Pool.

“I love training here, I love the atmosphere,” he said. “We have great pool and gym facilities here, great staff and I have my routine. It’s where I am comfortable and happy, and I’ve been really happy with how training has gone.”

Willis’s preparations, like his team-mates’, have been helped by the new state-of-the-art underwater camera facilities installed in the London 2012 Legacy Pool during its £1.6million refurbishment.

“The new pool facilities are amazing,” he said. “With the young guys coming through, I have to be a lot smarter with my training and I have been doing a lot of technical work.

“With the camera system and analysis, it’s almost been like doing homework – looking at my technique and working out how to make it more efficient.”

Fellow Olympian O’Connor, a reigning World and Commonwealth Champion, also feels she has benefited from the new pool facilities.

“The underwater cameras are so useful,” said the 20-year-old, who will be competing this week in the 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 100m breaststroke and her specialist event, the 200m individual medley.

“When we’ve had feedback from our coaches in the past it’s sometimes been hard to understand what they mean but now we can see it and have visual feedback.

“Seeing your stroke from underwater, where most of the work happens, is really good. If there is any flaw in your stroke it will get picked up and changing that can make a massive difference.”

Also racing this week are a number of students in University of Bath Head Swimming Coach Mark Skimming’s training group, including World University Games gold-medalist Jay Lelliott.

British Swimming Head Coach Bill Furniss said: “It’s going to be an interesting and exciting week in Scotland. We want our athletes to experience pressure, to handle pressure and to welcome pressure as this is a pre-requisite to success.

“We’ve got some exciting youngsters coming through the pathway and it will be interesting to see if any of these can step up to the plate for the events in Rio or London.

“As a sport we’re already preparing for the next Olympic cycle and a key addition to this strategy will be selecting emerging juniors to the senior European Championships next month in London as a unique development opportunity.”

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

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