Elizabeth Simmonds triumphs Women’s 100m back-stroke title - British Gas ASA National Championships
Elizabeth Simmonds of Loughborough University secured the gold medal of the Women’s 100m back-stroke in the Open Category on the opening day of the 2011 British Gas ASA Long Course National Championships, in Sheffield.
The Sheffield Championships is a second trial basis for national swimmers, to prove their eligibility in the national swimming team to compete at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, this July.
The 20-year-old Simmonds won the gold crown of the event, by clocking a stunning time of 59.86 seconds. Ealing’s Ekaterina Avramova stayed only two seconds behind her on the finishing wall as the second fastest swimmer, touching the wall in a time of 1 minute
and 01.53 seconds. Elizabeth’s team-member, Rachel Lefley, snagged the bronze medal of the event by posting a wonderful time of 1 minute and 01.67 seconds.
Simmonds, who qualified for the British team to Shanghai, has already represented her country at various international stages of sport. She won a silver medal in the 200m back-stroke and a bronze medal in the 4*100m medley relay at the 2008 Manchester World
Short Course Championships. She also won a gold medal in the 200m event and a silver medal in the 100m back-stroke category at the 2010 Budapest European Short Course Championships.
The champion swimmer was full of confidence from the start of the race, where she completed her first lap of the swim in a fastest time of 29.12 seconds. Lefley and Avramova followed her on the podium for the second and third fastest spots, with timings
of 30.12 and 30.16 seconds, respectively.
In the final lap, Simmonds sustained her top spot by winning the gold medal in a time of 59.86 seconds, whereas, the arena witnessed Avramova’s gruelling effort, which helped her to occupy the silver medal of the event.
Simmonds was extremely delighted with her title winning effort and proclaimed that she will make Britain proud at the Shanghai titles. The national championship will run for four consecutive days, to complete the British swimming team for the 2011 World
Championships.
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