Swimmers strike gold in Rome -
LOUGHBOROUGH swimmers left Italy with a hatful of medals as part of the GB team competing at the Seven Hills meet in Rome at the weekend.
Adam Peaty claimed gold in the 100m breaststroke on the opening day of the competition, while Sarah Vasey took bronze in the women’s 100m breaststroke.
On day two Adam Peaty and Sarah Vasey struck gold in their respective 50m breaststroke races, the latter heading a British one-two with Imogen Clark.
Vasey and Clark train together alongside Peaty under the stewardship of Mel Marshall at the National Centre Loughborough, a set-up that is bearing constant fruit.
Vasey took bronze in the 100m on Friday as well as gold in today’s breaststroke dash and will next month make her senior debut in Hungary.
“I seem to be in a good place for Worlds, this is my last competition before Worlds. So things are looking good which is nice,” said Vasey.
Clark added: “We are used to racing each other so it’s just fun really.”
There were also fourth places for Wood (400m Individual Medley), Georgia Davies (100m backstroke) and Charlotte Atkinson (100m butterfly).
The final day’s action saw Molly Renshaw win a gold medal in the 200m breaststroke, Charlotte Atkinson take silver in the 200m butterfly and there was a bronze medal for Luke Greenbank in the 200m backstroke.
Olympic finalist Renshaw executed a tactically-astute race, only taking the lead with five metres remaining.
“My goal going into that was to build through the race. I think in Rio it was the last 50 where I kind of lost it so I have been working a lot in training to kind of come back as strong as I can and so putting that into a race was good practice.”
Of Budapest, she said: “I just want to go there and I feel I know what I am capable of this season so I have just set goals with my coach and if I can achieve them I will be over the moon.”
Atkinson took silver in the 200m butterfly. She will make her senior Great Britain debut in Hungary and said: “I’ve been to Thailand, Japan, Rome – it’s been so good since making the worlds team, so exciting.
“I am not going in with any pressure on myself. I am just going to go in, enjoy it and see what the outcome is.”
Greenbank won bronze in the first event of the night, coming from seventh at the final turn to blast down the last 50.
Greenbank, who trains under Mel Marshall at the National Centre Loughborough, was selected for the World Championships and the performance was an indication he is heading in the right direction although his main focus is on the Olympics in 2020.
He said: “That was really good, I am pleased. It was my fastest untapered swim. I am in a good position as there is not really any pressure on me. I am still young, there is time to get experience. I am looking more to Tokyo.”