Angharad Evans Breaks British Record in 100 Breaststroke; Matt Richards Pops 1:44 in 200 Freestyle
One year after setting a British record in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Aquatics GB Championships, Angharad Evans has joined exclusive company in her prime event. Racing at this year’s edition of the British Champs, Evans became just the 10th female in history to break the 1:05 barrier. She accomplished the feat on Sunday, the final day of the competition, when she moved through her two laps in 1:04.96. That effort broke he previous British standard of 1:05.37.
Earlier in the meet, Evans became the first British woman to go sub-2:20 in the 200 breaststroke, so there was anticipation surrounding her appearance in the final of the 100 distance. The 22-year-old came through while racing at the London Aquatic Centre, as she went out in 30.88 and came home with a closing split of 34.08. That performance handed Evans (University of Stirling) a comfortable victory over Gabrielle Idle-Beavers, who was the runnerup in 1:07.69.
Last summer, Evans was expected to contend for a medal in the 100 breaststroke at the World Championships in Singapore, but she struggled during prelims, finishing 18th and shy of the semifinals. This summer, she’ll once again get the chance to compete on a major stage, with berths to the Commonwealth Games and European Championships secured. Based on her marks in London over the past week, Evans is moving toward those meets in fine form.
Behind her time of 1:04.96, Evans is the No. 10 performer in history, just .01 behind American Lydia Jacoby, the Olympic champion in the 100 breaststroke at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. The world record in the event belongs to the United States’ Lilly King, who clocked in at 1:04.13 at the 2017 edition of the World Championships in Budapest.
Matt Richards Tops Stacked 200 Freestyle Field
The 200 freestyle always provides fireworks at the British Championships, and Sunday night proved no different as Matt Richards emerged ahead of the field with a sub-1:45 outing. Backing up his earlier title in the 100 freestyle, Richards covered his four laps in 1:44.77, which was good for a .61 margin over runnerup James Guy (1:45.38). Duncan Scott was the third-place finisher in 1:45.44, followed by Jack McMillan in 1:45.91.
Heading into the final lap, Richards trailed Scott (1:17.73) and Guy (1:17.93) with a 150-meter split of 1:18.10. But over the final 50 meters, Richards had the most fuel in reserve, evident in his split of 26.67. Meanwhile, Scott came home in 27.71 and Guy closed in 27.45. Richards’ time is the second-fastest of 2026, trailing only the 1:44.53 of China’s Zhang Zhanshuo
Richards will lead the British contingent in the 200 freestyle at the European Championships, which is hardly a surprise given his career achievements. In addition to winning the silver medal in the 200 freestyle at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Richards was the world champion in 2023 in Fukuoka. As for Guy, who won the 400 freestyle earlier in the meet, his runnerup showing will give him the chance to race the event at the European Champs.
OllieMorgan Completes Backstroke Sweep
Already the winner of the 50 backstroke and 100 backstroke, Ollie Morgan wrapped up the backstroke trifecta with a narrow win over Luke Greenbank. As expected, Morgan used his speed to get out to a sizable lead and while Greenbank rallied down the last length, Morgan earned the victory in 1:55.86, with Greenbank following in 1:56.01.
Morgan bolted to an early lead, as he covered the first lap in 26.07, more than a second faster than the 27.18 of Greenbank. By the midway point of the race, the margin had grown to 54.59 to 56.27. Greenbank cut into his deficit on the third lap, thanks to a split of 29.44 and he pulled closer to Morgan during the closing 50 meters, only to run out of room at the wall.
In the women’s 50 freestyle, Eva Okaro rode the momentum of her strong NCAA season at the University of Texas. Okaro sprinted to a time of 24.42, which was enough for a victory over Theodora Taylor, who turned in a swim of 24.59. Okaro and Taylor figure to carry British sprinting on the women’s side into the future.
The final of the men’s 50 butterfly also featured a tight finish, with Joshua Gammon and Jacob Peters battling stroke for stroke. At the touch, Gammon got the decision by the slimmest of margins, his mark of 23.10 clipping the 23.11 of Peters. Third place went to Kieran Grant in 23.24.
The title in the women’s 800 freestyle was claimed by Amelie Blocksidge in 8:33.02.