Okaro Twins Share The Podium On A Record-Breaking Night In Sheffield
Twins Eva and Izabella Okaro shared the podium on a record-breaking day two of the Swim England National Winter Championships (25m) in Sheffield.
Eva added the 50 free title to the 100 she won on day one, claiming a clear win in 24.05 with Izabella third in 24.67. Skye Carter separated the sisters as she took silver in 24.61.
The twins, who train at Repton School in Derbyshire, have both enjoyed a fine year on the international front with Eva becoming the first black woman to represent Team GB in the pool at Paris 2024.
There she swam the second leg as the women’s 4×1 free finished seventh and is heading to Budapest for the short-course worlds. Izabella anchored the GB mixed medley relay in the prelims at the European Junior Championships in Lithuania before they went on to win gold in the final.
Joe Litchfield: Photo Courtesy: Morgan Harlow, Aquatics GB
Joe Litchfield won gold and silver on the opening day and he added to his collection in the 50 back, clocking 23.79 ahead of Sam Greenbank (24.04) and Harry Robinson (24.16).
Imogen Clark completed the 50/100 breaststroke double with a clear victory in the shorter race in 29.68 with Jasmine Carter lowering Clark’s British junior record to 30.90 in second and Elizabeth Booker third in 31.08.
The same trio that filled the men’s 100m breaststroke podium on day one returned to take the 200m medals. Greg Butler was second in the shorter race but he enjoyed a clear win in the 200 in 2:05.25 with 16-year-old Max Morgan – the 100m winner – second in 2:06.56 and Filip Nowacki replicating third in 2:08.30.
The women’s 100m backstroke podium featured athletes who’ve won armfuls of junior and senior international medals between them.
Medi Harris won two relay medals at the World Championships in Doha before making her Olympic debut in Paris. In Sheffield she took gold in 57.45 ahead of Lauren Cox – 50 back bronze medallist at the 2023 worlds – who clocked 58.76.
Blythe Kinsman led off the mixed medley relay that won gold – in which Izabella Okaro had swum prelims – at the European juniors and at Ponds Forge she took the bronze in 59.17.
World long-course champion Laura Stephens had a clear win in the 200 fly in 2:06.31 where she was followed home by Lucy Fox (2:08.07) and Shannon Stott (2:08.17).
Ed Mildred won a thrilling 200 free in which the first three home were separated by 0.18. The Manchester Performance Centre swimmer won out by 0.02 in a duel with Charlie Hutchison in 1:44.47 to 1:44.49 with Jacob Mills third in 1:44.65.
Tyler Melbourne-Smith – second behind Hutchison in the 400 on day one – upgraded to gold in the 1500 in 14:42.57 ahead of Reece Grady (14:46.75) and Harry Wynne-Jones (14:54.79).
A comeback swim saw 15-year-old Amalie Smith become both senior and junior champion in the 400 IM as she took three seconds off her personal best to set a 4:37.27 to finish narrowly ahead of Beatrice Varley (4:38.13) and Phoebe Cooper (4:39.93).
In the para races, the S14 duo of Georgia Sheffield and Poppy Maskill both touched the wall in a time of 1:04.09 in the Multi-Classification 100m backstroke to tie the gold medal position and set a new world’s best.
The record time, subject to ratification, took more than a second off the previous best set by Dutch athlete Marlou Van Der Kulk back in 2015.
The time was actually beaten earlier in the day too as Sheffield’s heat time of a 1:04.39 saw her qualify fastest for the final ahead of the three-time Paris Paralympic champion.
Maskill and Sheffield weren’t the only pair to set a new world’s best as William Ellard added another world top time to his name in the 100 back. The Norwich Swan athlete clocked in at 56.61, only 0.19 ahead of Mark Tompsett – who also swam under the world’s best time.
Callie-Ann Warrington continued the trend of new para swimming records with a new British best right at the start of the session. The RTW Monson athlete set a 27.83 in the ‘splash and dash’ 50m freestyle to break the national S10 record in the event.
Harry Stewart set the final para swimming record of the day with a stunning swim in the 100m breaststroke. His time of a 1:04.88 earned the Plymouth Leander swimmer gold by more than 100 points.