Lucy is full of Hope as Scot aims for Olympic relay medal in Paris
LUCY HOPE believes the UK’s women can start dreaming of Olympic relay medals despite just missing the podium on the opening night of the world swimming championships in Budapest.
The Borderer, 25, delivered a brilliant third leg as the British quartet came fifth in the 4x100 metres freestyle final.
A line-up that also included Anna Hopkin, Abbie Wood and ace anchor Freya Anderson clocked 3:35.43 as Australia repeated their victory from the Tokyo Olympics with Canada beating the USA to silver.
But Hope — the lone Scot at the event following the withdrawals of Stirling University squad-mates Duncan Scott and Kathleen Dawson — said: ‘The four of us have been a team since last year. We had Medi Harris in this morning to help us get through and then we have another couple of girls at home that are there or thereabouts.
‘If we can get a group of six or seven girls, to be able to rest people for finals even, come Paris, I think we’ll be really competitive.’
Despite the absence of Covid-struck Scott, the British men broke the UK record in their 4x100 free final but were left in fourth place. Young guns Lewis Burras and Jacob Whittle joined Olympic gold medallists Matt Richards and Tom Dean to lower the domestic mark to 3:11.14, losing out on bronze to Italy by 0.19 secs with Caeleb Dressel earning a 14th world gold as the United States powered clear of Australia.
‘We’re in a great place,’ said Richards. ‘It’s tough to come away from it, missing out on a podium by that much, but I think it just makes us hungrier and we’ll come back stronger.
‘For myself, it’s been a tough season, it hasn’t been quite where I wanted but it’s nice to see I’m back at the sort of times I want to be doing again and we’re all on the up and heading towards Paris.’
Ben Proud qualified quickest for today’s men’s 50m butterfly final ahead of Dressel, just one-hundredth of a second off the time that won the Londoner this title in the same pool in 2017. In the absence of the injured Adam Peaty, James Wilby ensured he will get a shot at inheriting his compatriot’s throne in this evening’s 100m breaststroke final.
The Glasgow-born hopeful, runner-up to Peaty in 2019 in Gwangju, was fourth-fastest out of the semis in 59.23 secs with Italy’s Tokyo bronze medallist Nicolò Martinenghi heading the standings.
Elsewhere, Katie Ledecky of the USA reclaimed the women’s 400 freestyle title to earn her 17th world championship gold in a championship record of 3:58.15.
France’s Leon Marchand was just shy of Michael Phelps’ world record in winning the
men’s 400m individual medley in a European best of 4:04.28.