Brits are showing heartening early season form at the start of textile 2010 - and at the helm of all performances at the British University long-course champs in Sheffield at the weekend was, without question, a 2:06.90 stunner over 200m backstroke by Lizzie Simmonds. And that in the heats, as a guest at the meet.
A hand shy of the world record that stood to Krisztina Egerszegi (HUN) between 1991 and the dawn of the shiny suits era in February 2008, Simmonds is a 2010 pioneer: the first swimmer to go better in a 2010 suit than she did in a 2009 suit. The world record now stands at 2:04.81 to Olympic champion of 2004 and 2008, Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), while Simmonds's best of 2:07.21 at Rome 2009 had been good enough to place 9th on the all-time ranking list. Egerszegi's 2:06.62 from 1991 was the only textile time among those top 9. Now Simmonds is 8th, 0.24sec behind the British record held by Gemma Spofforth, world champion and record holder in the 100m, from Rome 2009. A 2:09.52 was Simmond's best pre-2008, when she was just 16.
- Simmonds best splits: 30.40; 1:02.31; 1:34.67; 2:06.90 - a swift 32.23 bringing her home.
- Egerszegi's best splits: 30.55; 1:02.34; 1:34.79; 2:06.62.
There will be more of the kind of thing delivered by Simmonds from those who gained less advantage from the big squeeze than others, while the difference between the 2010 LZR and the 2008 LZR is not as significant as the gap between 2010 suits and the full 100% poly numbers that brought the 2008-09 suit wars to a close.
Francesca Halsall, fellow Smart Tracker of Simmonds, with whom the freestyle sprinter shares a flat in Loughborough, claimed a swift double: 58.71 in the 100m 'fly and 24.94 in the 50m free.
Back to backstroke and the meet witnessed a couple of splendid efforts by Liam Tancock: 54.42 in the solo 100m and 53.84 leading the Loughborough medley relay to victory and contributing to that university retaining its crown as Britain's number one, a status sure to bring a smile to the faces of coaches Ben Titley, Kevin Renshaw and director of swimming Ian Armiger. Tancock, who, like Simmonds and Halsall, works with Titley, also clocked 25.01 over 50m backstroke.
His partner, Caitlin McClatchey took the 200m and 400m free titles in 1:59.12 and 4:10.20; Joanne Jackson timed in at 2:00.23 in the 200m; Amy Smith clocked 56.21 in the 100m free; and double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington clocked 8:30.96 to win the 800m free. Simmonds, Halsall, Jackson, Smith (all coached at Loughborough) and Adlington were guests at the meet and not representing a university team.
