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Gandy Galvanises GBR Smart Trackers

Mar 6, 2011  - Craig Lord

Manchester: British Gas Championships, day 2 finals

Women's 100m butterfly 

In the wake of a sensational 2:05 200 'fly effort at NSW championships a couple of weeks back, Ellen Gandy lifted the British national 100m title at the British Gas Championships in Manchester tonight to book a ticket to the world championships in Shanghai in July.

If the champion's high-floating butterfly style delivered gold, then the times on the clock - the champion on 57.68sec, just 0.28sec shy of the British record and second-best in the world this year by 0.02sec - delivered a painful sting to her Smart Track teammates Francesca Halsall, European silver medallist last year, and Jemma Lowe. 

They must now race again at ASA national championships in June for the second of two berths available in each race in Shanghai, their respective times of 58.99 and 59.10 falling just shy of a tougher target time set for those seeking second berths in China in a move designed to have all Brits make it past morning qualifying rounds.

"I'm really happy," said Gandy. "I wanted to go 59, 58, 57 from heats to finals and I know my coach [Rohan Taylor in Melbourne] will be happy. I wasn't looking at what anyone else was doing. I knew I had it in me to come back hard so I wanted to get out as fast as I can."

Britain is not used to having such luxury of choice as that afforded by Gandy, Halsall, recovering from an ankle injury, and Lowe. In the 13 world championships held since 1973 and at all Olympic Games since butterfly was born in 1956, Britain has reaped no podium rewards. It now has three world-clas acts to call on come the moment.

After setting the pace from gun to gold, via a 27.18sec half-way split that stunned her rivals, both on 27.68 and was followed by a decisive dolphin-kicking drive off the wall out of the turn, Gandy paid plaudits to the brain behind the Smart Track sorority, former performance director Bill Sweetenham. 

“The group Bill set up a few years ago, I don't know how he did it,” said a beaming Gandy, ho was selected at 12 as a special talent alongside 12 others. “There’s me, Jemma, Fran, Jess [Dickons], Jazz [Carlin, second to Rebecca Adlington in the 400m freestyle on Saturday]. We've stayed together all those years and for us all to be coming through now is a real testament to what Bill Sweetenham did.”

If the first medals won last year in the first big finals of her career at the European Championships (bronze, 200m) and Commonwealth Games (silver, 100m; bronze 200m) represented the best moments of her career and had given her a “massive boost of confidence”, there was “something really special” about standing on a podium with girls she had grown up with, in life and in sport. “I love Jemma and Fran: we’ve done this race together for a few years and we're rivals when we race but when we're not racing we're all great friends.”

In Australia, Gandy trains alongside multiple world-title holders Michael Klim and Leisel Jones, Olympic 100m breaststroke champion, under the guidance of Rohan Taylor. Using underwater filming Taylor has worked with Gandy for the past year on changing her tilt and reduce resistance created by her kicking out of the start and turns. "The training seems to suit me really well and I feel really confident with it," says Gandy.  Training for success also included the art of watching “how they do everything during competition and how they look after themselves in training. It teaches you how to be."

Halsall’s lesson learned stemmed from the torn ligament that required surgery to an ankle. The tearful European 100m freestyle champion said: "I'm so emotional its just been so hard for me the past few months not being me, not feeling like me, and doing sets and not being anywhere near the times I usualy do. It was really difficult to get my head round what was going on. But to go in and do a 58.99 six weeks after I couldn't even dive in ... I'm just really proud of myself. It shows that if you just beliueve in what you're doing it boosts your confidence and you can do anything."

When Halsall, coached by Ben Titley at Loughborough University, was called out for her race, she walked the wrong way down the deck towards lane 7 before realising her mistake. "I had a bet with the boys that I would come out backwards so I got really confused," she laughed about the joke that backfired after tweeting pre-race, with a nod to a format that called each swimmer to the poolside in turn, slowest to fastest:  "Oooo lucky lane 2 tonight, I get to chill out while the big guns get less time to take their clothes off".

In her rehabilitation period, Halsall compensated for loss of time in the water with more weights training during her rehabilitation. "I feel a lot strong and down the line that's really going to help me when I get my fitness back. I'm building up my leg now ... doing a lot of squats and all the strength is coming back. By summer hopefully I will be in great shape to go faster."

The injury had other compensations too: "I was sorted out by an angel in Chelsea. I was at the Lister hospital in London. It was like a 5-star hospital. I was treated like a princess ... a la carte menu and everything. It was wonderful," said Halsall, who now looks to the sprint freestyle events in Manchester with confidence. Lowe, coached by Bud McAllister in Swansea, took the same approach to the 200m butterfly, expressing disappointment with her 100m effort.

How they measure up:

  • Best of Britain, spring 2007: 59.78
  • GBR championships top 3 2009: 57.49; 58.11; 1:00.08
  • GBR best 2010: 57.40 Francesca Halsall
  • 2011 podium: 57.68; 58.99; 59.10
  • GBR record: 57.40 Francesca Halsall 2010

Best GBR podium result at world titles: No medals