British swimmers in world record haul

Paul Carter

Great Britain’s swimmers sent out a clear message to the rest of the world by claiming four world records at the 2010 British Gas Swimming Championships at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

All races at the Championships took place in the multi-disability format, in which swimmers from different classifications compete in the same races. Times are then calculated against world records in each competing classification to give a points total, which determines overall placings.

Paralympic Champion Elizabeth Johnson, who competes in the SB6 category, was the first to claim a new world mark in the 100m breaststroke final on the second day of competition.

It was European champ Claire Cashmore (SB8) who actually touched first in 1:23.26 and secured 907 points but when Beijing gold medallist Johnson touched in a new world record time for her class of 1:39.58 she took the gold medal with a total of 1,015 points.

The following day, six-time Paralympic gold medallist and eight-time World Champion Sascha Kindred showed he is still a force to be reckoned with on the international stage as he stripped an incredible five seconds off the previous S6 world’s best in the 100m butterfly.

He touched in a time of 1:11.75 ahead of Mancunian Dave Ellis from the S13 category whose impressive swim secured a season’s best time of 1:02.42.

James Hollis (S10) completed the podium places with a new personal best time of 1:06.59.
Kindred, aged 31, said his performance was the result of intense training to improve his technique.

He said: “Butterfly is something I’ve been working on quite a lot over the last couple of years so I’m pleased it is starting to feel really comfortable.”

Due to the multi-disability system, in the 100m backstroke, Britain’s swimmers claimed two world records in the same event.

In the S7 classification, Jonathan Fox took the world record with a time of 1:11.99 earning him 1, 004 points, which was also enough to claim the gold medal.

Fellow competitor James Crisp took the honours in the S9 classification with 1:03.32, scoring a total of 1,001 points. The bronze medal went to Thomas Young whose 1:08.58 earned him 905 points.