Swimmers who won a medal in an individual event at Paris 2024 will be selected to the Great Britain team for this event in Singapore.
Individual medallists in Paris were Adam Peaty (silver, 100m breaststroke), Ben Proud (silver, 50m freestyle), Matt Richards (silver, 200m freestyle) and Scott (silver, 200IM). Peaty however is taking a break from competition and won’t be in Singapore.
Relay medallists will be selected subject to confirmation by the Great Britain head coach, Steve Tigg. The men’s 4×2 free quartet claimed an historic gold as they defended their title from Tokyo with Tom Dean and Guy joining Richards and Scott.
While swimmers who won a medal in an individual event at Paris 2024 will be selected to the Great Britain team for that event in Singapore, no British women reached the podium in the French capital.
To qualify for worlds, a swimmer must finish first in an Olympic event and record a time that equals or betters those in the table below.
Athletes that finish second in a time equal or better than that in the table will be considered for selection to a team that will have a maximum of 30 athletes.
Freya Colbert and Keanna MacInnes qualified on Tuesday in the 200 free and 200 fly respectively.
Men’s 50m Breaststroke
Max Morgan upgraded 100 silver to 50 gold in 27.69 ahead of Archie Goodburn (27.76) and Filip Nowacki (27.87).
“It’s amazing,” said the 17-year-old. “I never thought I’d be a British champion, especially this soon so I’m just buzzing. I think I was more relaxed, I had quite a lot of pressure on myself the first night, I had big expectations. I’m happy and I think I dealt with this one better.”
Morgan swims with Reeds SC, a club that was set up by former GB swimmer Craig Gibbons who competed at London 2012 and for whom Morgan has high praise. So too Adam Peaty with an eight-year-old Morgan watching as he claimed his first Olympic title at Rio 2016. “I remember watching the race in Rio and in Tokyo and I was always watching when I was little. For pretty much every breaststroker he’s the inspiration. I got to speak to him in the warm-up today which was nice as well. We were talking about my race yesterday and he was just giving me tips on what to improve for next time which is really helpful.”
Goodburn fought back tears on poolside in London after claiming silver. The Scot revealed in June last year that he’d been diagnosed with three inoperable brain tumours. When asked how much resilience it had taken to reach the podium, Goodburn said: “Quite a lot. I’m lucky to have a fantastic family around me, girlfriend, my team. It’s been really tough. The last few days have been a real mental battle – I’ve been fighting a lot more demons than I thought I would be. Well done to these guys stood beside me – they are doing a fantastic job to be racing at the level they are racing at at their age.”
Of the race, Goodburn added: “Fifties are always going to be close, it’s anyone’s race when you dive in. It was a very competitive field and yes, disappointed not to get the hand on the wall first, but well done to Max.
“It’s been a strange season for me aside from the health stuff. I’m doing a really challenging dissertation on drug delivery to the brain and cancer research. There has been a lot of focus for me out of the pool this year, the changes of variable in what I’m doing out the pool to make me faster. I’m looking forward, in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, to focus a bit more on the swimming and learn what makes me rock and roll just being in the pool. I still want to keep the 100 on my radar and I’m looking forward to a lot more races with these guys.”
Men’s 200 Fly
This promised to be a real tussle and it truly delivered. Ed Mildred started the day with a 1:58.00 PB which he lowered to 1:57.02 en-route to heading the heats ahead of Duncan Scott (1:58.85) with defending champion Josh Gammon the other man inside 2mins in 1:59.83. Come the final and Mildred led through 100m, 0.08 ahead of Scott with the pair going stroke for stroke down the third 50 where just 0.01 separated them at the final turn. The eight-time Olympic medallist pulled away down the last 50 to stop the clock in a Scottish record of 1:54.89, 0.31 off Michael Rock’s British standard of 1:54.89 that has stood since the 2009 World Championships. Mildred lowered his PB once more in 1:56.21 and Guy finished third in 1:59.44.
Scott was inside the Singapore cut although he has no intention of racing the event at worlds but it did offer him a learning opportunity and a chance to test himself against good fly swimmers. He wasn’t shocked however by his performance, saying in a poolside interview: “I back my ability. It’s something we’ve trained hard for.”
Asked how much he’d enjoyed the race, Scotland’s most-decorated Olympian said wryly: “Oh come on – you don’t enjoy swimming 200 fly. I’d question if even Milak (Kristof Milak) enjoys swimming that event.”
He added: “I do like the competitive aspect of that event. The amount I’ve raced Jimmy in my swimming career is phenomenal. Two athletes that always give their all, no matter what. I’ve just got so much respect for what he’s done and I just love racing him every time. Ed, going how many years without a PB? This morning laying down something really good and being able to back it up again with another PB! For someone who’s been brave enough to make a move as well, going to Manchester, I’m really happy with him. Gammon (Josh Gammon) as well: so he won it last year, he might be a little disappointed with that but that’s the ebbs and flows of swimming as well so I’m really happy with that.”
The University of Stirling swimmer added: “It’s all about learning. That first 50 is probably pretty similar to the first 50 of the 2IM so it’s going to be really interesting to see what my counts are, my rates, all that stuff, just as a small detail for me to look at and be like – right, what can I execute on Friday (the 200IM prelims)? So that was the main reason for that but yeah, I thought I’d be alright at that.”
The nine-time world medallist will definitely not be taking up the slot in the 200 fly come Singapore. “No! Come on, that won’t even make the final. If we’re being realistic, that’s not finalling. If it is, I’ll be in lane eight. I’m really happy with that and if I’m being brutally honest I’m not a fly swimmer and that’s okay in world standard. Luca Urlando went 1:52 the other week – it could be a 52 to medal in that event now. So, for me where that ranks in my event list, I’m really happy with that but no, that’s not an event I should be taking up.”
Mildred moved to Manchester Performance Centre where he trains under Ryan Livingstone and he credits the switch and what came with it as instrumental in his return to the podium after a successful junior career. “Just a complete change in training,” he said. “Focusing very much on those fly events as it showed today: two big PBs so yeah, the change has worked so good to see, it’s always nice.”
Matt Richards and Guy are also among the cohort that has switched to Manchester and after prelims, Mildred said to Swimming World: “Ryan’s a good coach, he knows what he’s doing, he’s a smart guy. That is why I moved to him. He’s proved it with Matt (Richards) and Jimmy (James Guy) and all the other swimmers that we’ve got up there. Like Leah (Leah Schlosshan, 200 free silver) last night got the ball rolling well here for Manchester and it seems to be working.”
Men’s 400IM
Max Litchfield pulled away from Charlie Hutchison on the breaststroke before coming home in 4:11.59, 0.31 inside the cut for the World Championships. Hutchison was second in 4:14.92 with George Smith third in 4:18.48.
