Francesca Halsall wins Women’s 100m freestyle heats – 2011 British Gas ASA National Championships
Loughborough University’s Francesca Halsall won the qualifying rounds of the Women’s 100m freestyle in the open category, on day two of the 2011 British Gas ASA National Swimming Championships, in Sheffield.
The National Championships is focused towards finalising Great Britain’s swimming team, which is going to compete at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, this July. Those swimmers, who failed to present substantial swims in the first selection trials
held in March, can confirm their spots in the national team by winning the gold medal of their respective events.
Halsall won the fastest qualification spot of the 100m event, by touching the wall in an impressive time of 53.61 seconds. With her magnificent swim, she was comfortably away from her next swimmer, Amy Smith, who qualified as the second fastest swimmer in
a time of 55.41 seconds. They were followed by Sheffield’s Rebecca Turner, who completed her swim in a third fastest time of 55.97 seconds.
Halsall was expectedly strong from the starting blocks, where she completed the first-half of the race in a fastest time of 25.60 seconds. Smith and Turner followed her on the first turn with their remarkable efforts of 26.55 and 27.35 seconds, respectively.
In the next lap, Halsall continued her dominance to secure the top qualification spot by touching the wall in 53.61 seconds. Her following swimmers, Smith and Turner, also sustained their positions and completed their swims in the second and third fastest
spots.
Emma Wilkins of Plymouth Lea finished her swim in the fourth place, producing a time of 56.03 seconds. Caitlin McClatchey and Emma Saunders followed Wilkins on the finishing wall in a fifth and sixth qualification time of 56.39 and 56.76 seconds, respectively.
Joanne Jackson and Sophie Smith appeared as the seventh and eighth fastest swimmers, posting a time of 56.80 and 56.83 seconds, respectively.
The final of the same event will take place in the next session, where the gold medallist will earn her spot in the British team to contest at the World Championships in China.
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