British Swimming Championships 2024: Abbie Wood claims 200m IM gold and new PB on Day 5 of Paris trials
Abbie Wood put in the performance of her life as she stormed to victory in the women's 200m Individual Medley at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships (formerly British Swimming Championships) on Saturday 6 April.
Wood's win, in a personal best time of 2:08.91, handily broke the nomination time for Paris 2024 and gives a place on the British team for the next Olympic Games (pending official selection). It was the latest in a high-quality championships that has seen multiple British records set and selection times met at the London Aquatics Centre - the scene of the swimming competition of the London 2012 Games.
The 25-year-old Wood has already experienced one Olympic Games having swum for GB at Tokyo 2020. However, she spoke after the race about how special this British title is for her after it was set with her family cheering her on from the stands.
"Even just seeing them is just weird because they never see me when I actually swim well," an elated Wood said in a pool-side interview before receiving her medal. "I think every older swimmer knows it's so hard to move onto the next second and even though it's (her new personal best) is 0.2 (seconds) I'm now in the 2:08s so it just feels really nice."
Second-place Freya Colbert also hit the nomination time - and a new PB - with a swim of 2:10.46 and the selectors will now decide whether she will race in the 200m IM at Paris 2024. Colbert already achieved the nomination time in the 400m IM earlier in the championships and is the reigning world champion in the event.
"I was actually a little nervous because it was actually a lot of effort this morning (in the heats) for not that quick a time," said Colbert after her silver medal over the shorter distance. "That's such a big PB and I haven't swum this event that much, so I'm just really pleased to be up there with the girls. And I think I surprised myself a little bit tonight but I'm so happy to hopefully get the opportunity to swim this in Paris if everything goes to plan."
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Ben Proud takes British title in rapid men's 50m free
Up until the penultimate race of the night, no swimmer had achieved the Paris 2024 nomination time on the second-to-last day of the championships. But that all changed with Ben Proud's spectacular swim in the men's 50m freestyle.
Proud touched the wall in 21:25 seconds, just outside his own personal best of 21.18, and will now be hoping he can add an Olympic medal to his already impressive haul that includes world 50m freestyle gold in 2022.
"Tonight's special because only for the second time in my swimming career I had my whole family under the same roof," he said after the race. "I really wanted to show them what I could do."
Proud, who came fourth in the 50m freestyle race at Rio 2016, had confessed after his morning heat that he was practising for the Olympics.
"Tonight was just about putting in a fast race," he continued after his final. "The good thing is that I have some things to fix, so I'm happy."
The evening began with Tobias Robinson's victory in the men's 800m freestyle, followed by Keanna Macinnes being crowned British champion in the women's 100m butterfly. James Wilby then claimed victory in the men's 200m breaststroke, but each of the finishing marks in those races fell short of the Paris nomination times.
The action continues tomorrow (Sunday 7 April) with the final day of the championships, with the women’s 800m freestyle followed by the men’s 200m backstroke, women’s 100m breaststroke, women’s 100m freestyle and men’s 200m freestyle.