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British Championships & World Trials - Day 4

Apr 14, 2001  - Anita Lonsbrough

Five more World qualifying times were achieved on Day Four of the British Championships in Manchester, with Rebecca Cooke becoming the first to win a place in two events.

The seventeen year old ploughed a lonely furrow to record a personal best of 8min 34.91sec 0.65sec inside the target. Coach Stephen Hill had been hoping for a 8 min 30sec swim but with no opposition she could not maintain the necessary pace.

With the 50m on backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly being added to the programme for the first time Mark Foster and Zoe Baker are possibly Britain's best chance of medals in Japan. They won their places in the butterfly and breaststroke events respectively but neither was particularly happy with their times.

Foster who holds the world short course record for the butterfly wanted "to go under 24secs" but could only manage 24.12sec one tenth off his British record. But he issued a warning to his rivals "At the World Championships I want to break the World record and win gold".

Baker who made the long journey from her home in Christchurch, New Zealand, to win her breaststroke event in a time of 31.99sec but admitted she was "not swimming as well as I'd hope". The twenty five-year-old is delighted that this event has been added to the World programme "I've been waiting for this for many years".

Paul Palmer, Britain's most successful swimmer in recent years completed a hat trick of freestyle When adding the 200m to the 100 and 400m won during the first three days. In the heats on Thursday he come close to his British record of 1min 47.95sec.

His long time coach Ian Turner said of Palmer "He has to feel good theses days. I didn't put any pressure on him he always does his best".

He clearly didn't feel good in the final admitting, "I've done too much in the week". But even when not at his best he can still pull something out to keep his British rivals at bay. He made his move on the third length leaving his rivals to sort out the minor placings.

Palmer's winning time of 1min 48.85sec gave him his first World qualification time. Edward Sinclair, Jamie Salter and Marc Spackman filled the places two to four. This quartet finished fifth in the 4 x 200m freestyle in Sydney and will have the chance to improve in Japan, as their total time was inside the required standard.

Adam Faulkner the nineteen-year-old completed the qualifiers when he won the 800m freestyle. Faulkner who denied Graeme Smith of a swim in the 1500m in Sydney once again held the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bronze medallist at bay.

Leading from the start the teenage won in 8min 01.77sec over two seconds inside the standard required, as was Smith. Only the winner at the trials gains selection. The second phase of selections will take place at the end of June from the rankings. So Smith will have an anxious ten weeks hoping no one else swims faster.