Titans Swimmers Head to World Championships

Titans swimmers Freya Anderson and Conor Ferguson led a blitz of gold medals in their respective competitions to qualify for the World Senior Championships.

Anderson won her first senior British title with an impressive victory in the 100m Freestyle at the British Swimming Championships in Sheffield. The 16-year-old came through an enthralling battle to land gold in a personal best of 54.35 seconds, beating Bath University's defending champion Siobhan-Marie O'Connor by 0.02 seconds back on day four of the competition.

In the final individual race of the evening at the Irish Open Swimming Championships, Ferguson set a new Irish record of 25.24 in the 50m backstroke to take gold and book his place at the World Championships to be held in Budapest this summer.

Freya said, "It feels crazy - I didn't expect to be British champion, especially swimming in that field. I had my head down and was not focusing on anyone else, only to get to the wall first".

Anderson's time beat Olympic swimmer, Fran Halsall's, British Age record of 54.80 set 10 years ago for the second time that day - with Freya already having beaten it in the morning's heat with a time of 54.40. The time puts her at the top of the World Rankings for 16 year olds - where she is also placed first in the 50 fly and 50 freestyle.

The junior record for Ferguson came on the back of his 200m backstroke senior record. Connor became the first Irishman to break the two-minute mark in the 200m back when he clocked 1:59.29 in the heats before taking gold in 1:58.80 in the evening. The 50m back win completed a hat trick of backstroke titles for the 17-year-old.

Ellesmere titans swimming coach Alan Bircher said, "I've come to expect the unexpected when it comes to this group of amazing swimmers. I always look for a team that work together rather than being dictated too and these rewards just show us that the partnership and bond between the coach and swimmer is at an all-time high. I couldn't be prouder of what every single swimmer has achieved already this season. But we now have a very busy summer ahead and the expectation will raise again!"

12th May 2017  Back to News