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British Short Course Championships Report Day 1

Dec 8, 2000  - Anita Lonsbrough

The feeling of the majority of swimmers at the British Short Course Championships here in Sheffield, is that they are "inspired" by the Australian Bill Sweetenham the new National Performance Director, but not Zoe Baker the reigning European Short Course 50m breast-stroke champion.

Baker has been left out of the British team for next week's European Short Course Championships. The selection policy laid down by the previous Performance Director was that the 50m swimmers for strokes other than the freestyle, would be selected from those who competed in the 100m events in the Sydney Olympics.

Baker was not in Australia and feels that Sweetenham could and should have added her to the team. The selectors refused to implement Sweetenham's policy which they were given last July. After her win in the 50m breast-stroke where she recorded 31;41sec having set a British record of 31;39 in the morning heats, she admitted "I'm still disappointed all my training has been aimed at defending my title". She added "I'm still hoping that they will add me".

One swimmer who was in Sydney and broke a British record yesterday was nineteen year old Georgina Lee from the Birmingham based Camphill Edwardians club. Having the long course mark for the 200m butterfly under her belt the short course mark "has been at the back of my mind" she admitted.

For three quarters of the race the pace was set by the defending champion and record holder Margaretha Pedder of Portsmouth. But the midlander was not going to be beaten. Producing a strong finish she nipped ahead to win in 2min 09;09sec slicing 0;47sec off Pedder's figures established last year.

Also in record breaking form was Sarah Price of Barnet. She twice lowered the figures for the 100m backstroke. In the morning heats she clipped 0;13 off her own twenty month old mark with a swim of 1min 00;48.

In the final she surprised herself breaking the magical one minute barrier with a time of 59;97sec. Afterwards she claimed "I've wanted that for so long, I've had my sights on it since 1997". She added "I was really disappointed with the Olympics but I've come back with something to prove". Part of her new found form she puts down to her new land training programme.