BBC Sportparalympics2008ifs

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Related BBC sites

Page last updated at 09:25 GMT, Monday, 18 May 2009 10:25 UK

GB swimmers set European records

Paralympic swimmer Louise Watkin
Watkin will be in action at next week's BT Paralympic World Cup

Four of Britain's top swimmers all clinched European records at the British International Disability Championships in Sheffield.

Stephanie Millward set a new European mark in the S9 100m backstroke and equalled team-mate Louise Watkin's record in the 100m freestyle.

Teenager Watkin beat her own best in the 400m freestyle.

Natalie Jones (SM6 200m IM) and Heather Frederiksen (S8 100m freestyle) were also in record-breaking form.

The quartet will all be in action again on Monday 25 May at the BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.

The three-day championships in Sheffield incorporated the selection trials for the IPC European Championships in Iceland in October.

Jones, who won a gold medal over the distance in Athens but finished with bronze in Beijing, had missed out on the qualifying time in the morning session.

But she stormed to an impressive win in the afternoon session in a time of three minutes, 14.38 seconds - almost half a second better than her previous best.

"I'm stunned with that time," she said. "I feel great and I am so happy. "It is such a relief to have got the qualification time and I am so pleased that I did it in a new European record time."

Frederiksen put in a storming swim in the morning heat of her event to knock almost half a second off her previous European record.

As well as her European marks, Millward, who missed out on medals at last year's Paralympics in Beijing, also set new British records in the S9 50 and 100m butterfly.

Ben Procter lowered the S14 100m butterfly British record in his heat and went on to win gold in his final and he triumphed in the 100m backstroke in a new world record.

There were also British records for Dave Ellis (S13 100m butterfly), Claire Cashmore (S8 50m and 100m breaststroke) and Anthony Stephens (S5 100m freestyle).

Of the international contingent in Sheffield, German swimmer Kirsten Bruhn was in top form, achieving world records in the SB5 50m and 100m breaststroke and a new European best in the S7 100m backstroke.



Print Sponsor


see also
Simmonds heads GB swimming team
17 Apr 09 |  Disability Sport
Frederiksen leads swimming charge
10 Sep 08 |  Disability Sport
A-Z of Paralympic classification
28 Aug 08 |  Disability Sport
Disability Sport on the BBC
02 Nov 09 |  Disability Sport


related bbc links:

related internet links:
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites