Golden double for Anna Hopkin as University of Bath-based swimmers impress at Swim England National Winter Champs
Student Anna Hopkin claimed two national titles as University of Bath-based swimmers won 11 medals at the Swim England National Winter Championships in Sheffield.
MJ Church ambassador Hopkin, who is also supported by a Thompson Education Trust sporting scholarship, was the first English swimmer home in both the 50m and 100m freestyle, clocking rapid times of 25.33 and 54.76 – a personal best – respectively.
Hopkin, who represented GB at the World University Games this summer, is the reigning British champion over 50m but was particularly pleased with her improvement in the longer event.
“I’ve definitely been focusing on the 100m free and I am happy it has paid off,” she said. “I learnt a lot at the World University Games, it was my first international competition and I really enjoyed the experience.”
Sport & Exercise Science student Hopkin, coached by Mark Skimming at the University’s London 2012 Legacy Pool, also set a new best of 27.24 as she won bronze in the 50m butterfly.
Olympic and World medallist James Guy, a member of the highly-successful British Swimming National Centre Bath led by coaches Dave McNulty and Jol Finck, eased to victory in the 200m butterfly with a Commonwealth Games qualification time of 1:56.66.
Jess Fullalove also set the Gold Coast 2018 standard as she claimed the national 100m backstroke title in 1:00.65, while fellow National Centre Bath swimmer Cameron Kurle struck 200m freestyle gold in 1:48.86.
Fullalove also won silver in the 200m backstroke in 2:11.70 and there were two runner-up places for double Olympian Andrew Willis, who has already been named in the Team England squad for the Commonwealth Games, as he clocked 1:01.16 and 2:11.10 in the 100m and 200m breaststroke respectively.
Rio 2016 medallist Chris Walker-Hebborn was edged into second place by just three-hundredths of a second in the 100m backstroke, touching the wall in 54.61, and Sport & Exercise Science student Tom Derbyshire – supported by a British Swimming National Training Centre scholarship – took 1,500m freestyle silver in 15:13.21.
Santander Sporting Scholar Jacob Greenow, who studies Natural Sciences, missed out on a medal in the 400m IM by 0.17secs and Calum Jarvis was also fourth in the 100m freestyle.
The Olympic-sized London 2012 Legacy Pool at the University of Bath Sports Training Village is not just open to elite swimmers but members of the public can also use it. Click here for more information.
