British record for Freya Anderson and another big win for Tom Dean helps London Roar finish third in 2020 International Swimming League
Freya Anderson eclipsed her own British record and Tom Dean claimed another eye-catching victory as University of Bath-based swimmers shone once again for London Roar in the grand final of the 2020 International Swimming League in Budapest, Hungary.
Anderson, who joined the British Swimming National Centre Bath high-performance squad this summer, has been in fantastic form throughout the six-week competition and continued that into the last session on Sunday as she clocked 1.51.87 in the 200m freestyle.
That surpassed the previous British short-course record time set earlier in the competition by Anderson, who also equalled her 100m freestyle personal best during the final and helped Roar finish runners-up and third in the women’s 4x100m medley and 4x100m freestyle relays respectively. Sports & Exercise Science alumna Anna Hopkin swam an impressive anchor leg in the latter event.
Mechanical Engineering student Dean – supported by a Bill Whiteley Sporting Scholarship – also excelled in the final, setting the second-fastest short-course time ever by a Brit as he won the 400m freestyle in 3:36.56 before finishing third in a world-class 400m individual medley race in 4:02.53.
Holly Hibbott was fourth in the women’s 400m freestyle, Emily Large placed fifth in the 200m butterfly and James Guy helped Roar to a fourth-placed finish in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
Their efforts helped Roar finish third overall in the 2020 standings behind Cali Condors, who remained unbeaten throughout, and defending champions Energy Standard who were runners-up this time round.
Anderson, Dean, Guy, Hibbott and Large are all part of the National Centre Bath squad based at the Team Bath Sports Training Village, where they are coached in the London 2012 Legacy Pool by David McNulty and Jol Finck.
Click here to find out more about the swimming programme at the University of Bath.
Pictures: International Swimming League / Mike Lewis
