Amy Smith triumphs in Women’s 100m freestyle - British Gas ASA National Championships
Amy Smith of Loughborough University secured the gold medal of the Women’s 100m freestyle in the open class category of the 2011 British Gas ASA National Championships, being staged in Sheffield.
The National Championships are the second trials of British swimmers to attain their spots in the Great Britain’s team, which will participate at the 2011 World Long Course Championships in Shanghai, this July. Swimmers achieving gold medals in their respective
events at these trials will confirm their places in the British team to China.
Amy Smith won the gold medal of the 100m sprint, producing a remarkable time of 55.27 seconds. Amy, who qualified as the second fastest swimmer into the finals, improved her timing by 0.14 seconds to grab the gold medal of the event. Sheffield’s Rebecca
Turner, who snagged the silver medal of the event, followed her on the finishing wall, by clocking a superb time of 55.52 seconds. Smith’s team-member, Caitlin McClatchey, was only 0.29 seconds away from Turner and appeared on the finishing wall for bronze
medal with a timing of 55.81 seconds.
The Loughborough University swimmer seemed to be the inevitable winner for the gold medal from the starting blocks. Smith was the first swimmer to jump-off from the starting blocks and she completed her swim in a fastest time of 26.51 seconds. She was followed
by Turner and McClatchey, who completed their initial laps in a time of 26.94 and 27.37 seconds, respectively.
In the second lap, the second and third fastest swimmers geared up their sprints but failed to defeat the arena’s favourite, Smith, who earned the gold medal in a time of 55.27 seconds.
Emma Wilkins and Emma Saunders also engaged in a neck-to-neck race with each other, where Wilkins finished as the fourth fastest swimmer in a time of 56.11 seconds. Saunders was only 0.15 seconds behind and ended her swim in the fifth position, with a timing
of 56.26 seconds.
The championship will conclude on June 17 after the completion of all swimming events in the Men’s and Women’s category.
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