5 races to watch at this weekend’s Edinburgh International

2023 Edinburgh International Swimming Meet

The 2023 Edinburgh International Swimming Meet gets underway this weekend with a large British contingent heading to the Royal Commonwealth Pool. There will also be some foreign talent to compete with from Canada, Netherlands and Austria.

Some British swimmers are attending the meet after the Lausanne Swimming Cup at the end of last month, while others are heading to Edinburgh following the British Universities and Colleges Championships (BUCS).

Each competition is a great opportunity before the all-important British Swimming Championships. The April meet is a qualifying opportunity for British swimmers to make the squad for this summer’s World Championships in Fukuoka.

5 races to watch at EISM

No. 1 100 women’s spine

The third-fastest all-time women’s 100m backstroke also leads the field, by Canada Kylie Massey He finished first with his best time of 57.70. She will be chased by the Dutch Kathleen Dawson and Kira Toussaint of Stirling, while American Katie DeLoof and Swedish Louise HansonBoth from Loughborough will be in the starting blocks.

So far this season we’ve seen Massey dip in 59.43 minutes at the Pro Swim Series in Knoxville. Toussaint is right in the 60-second range with a time of 1:00.35 at the Rotterdam qualifier last December. Hanson holds the season record of 1:00.48 from the Luxembourg Euro meet.

Dawson’s personal best of 58.05 seconds has been fastest since Mass, but his fastest 100m this year is 1:00.78 produced at BUCS.

#2 Men’s 200m Freestyle

Current Olympic gold and silver medalists Tom Dean And Duncan Scott This will take center stage in the 200m freestyle.

The pair represent the two fastest men in British history, with Dean holding a national record of 1:44.22 from a gold medal-winning performance at the 2020 Olympic Games, while Scott holds a PB of 1:44.26.

Both face the Austrian team Felix Apoke Loughborough and fellow Brit James Guy.

Dean set a time of 1:46.33 earlier this season when he competed in Australia as part of a British Swimming training camp on the Gold Coast. As for Scott, he recorded a time of 1:48.15 in the event heats at BUCS.

#3 100 Female Breasts

With withdrawal Molly Renshaw And Sarah Vasey, British swimming is looking to the next women’s breast to top the leaderboard in time to make a leap forward at this summer’s world championships.

Scotland’s Cara Hanlon is heading in the right direction as the 25-year-old recently set the fastest time of her career. Competing at BUCS, Hanlon clocked 1:06.75, becoming the first woman in her country to break the 1:07 barrier.

He confirmed that a week later in Fort Lauderdale, where he posted a time of 1:06.93 to earn a silver medal in the Pro Swim Series.

Here in Edinburgh Hanlon will fight the BUCS gold medalist, Russian Tatiana Belonogoff from Loughborough. Belonokoff beat Hanlon with a time of 1:06.53, which was very close to his personal best.

Imogen Clarke and Israeli Olympian Anastasia Gorbenko will also be in attendance. Clarke claimed Pro Swim Series bronze last weekend in 1:07.85, while 19-year-old Gorbenko set her country’s record with her best time of 1:06.69 last May.

#4 100 Female Butterflies

Hansen’s name came up again and again as Sweden finished first in the women’s 100m butterfly. Hanson would be the winning lady with her entry time of 57.64.

However, 18-year-old Vanoterdijk recently broke nine national records in three days of racing at the Flemish Swimming Championships last month.

The European junior champion broke his personal best time of 57.85 in the event and was the only athlete under 58 in Edinburgh.

#5 100 male butterfly

Austria’s Simon Bucher broke his own national record at last year’s world championships with a time of 51.18, so the 22-year-old is fast approaching 51 seconds.

Pushing it this weekend is British national record holder Guy. Although Kai entered the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a 51.40 to clinch silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the 27-year-old has swum a career personal best of 50.67.

Fellow Britons Jacob Peters, Ed Mildred and Jamie Ingraham will also be fighting for a place on the podium.

Elite athletes register for the Edinburgh International Swimming Championships

Austria – Bernard Reitshammer, Felix Apoke
Bath – Brady Williams, Tom Dean, James GuyFreya Anderson, Leah Crisp
Belgium – Roos Vanotterdjk
Canada – Kylie Massey
Czech Republic – Simona Kubova
Denmark – Sign Bro
Derwentio-Imogen Clarke
Edinburgh – Cara Hanlon
Israel – Anastasia Gorbenko
Ireland: Darragh Green, Eoin Corby, Niamh Coyne, Ellen Walshe, Tom Fannon, Calum Paine
Loughborough – Daniel Wiffen (IRL), Nathan Wiffen (IRL), Katie DeLoof (USA), Louise Hanson (SWE), Luke Greenbank, Laura Stephens, Adam Beattie, Jacob Whittle, Isabella Hindley, Paige Madden (USA), Andreas Vasaios (GRE), Abby Wood, Tatiana Pelonokoff (RUS)
Netherlands – Kira Toussaint, Luck Gruen, Stan Bijnenburg
Stirling – Keanna Maciness, Kathleen DawsonKatie Shanahan Duncan ScottJack McMillan (IRL)

Original article by Reta Race