Jackson And Adlington Keep Potec At Bay
2008-07-11
Craig Lord
Joanne Jackson (GBR) clocks 1:57.25 in 200m free at nationals in Liverpool and gets Olympic berth after teammate Adlington withdraws to focus on the 400m and 800m in Beijing

British teammates Joanne Jackson and Rebecca Adlington raced ahead of Olympic champion Camelia Potec (ROU, Canet 66) in the 200m freestyle at ASA national championships in morning finals in Liverpool today. Jackson looked very smooth indeed and clocked 1:57.25, with Adlington, British champion back at trials in March, second in 1:58.75 and Potec third in 2:00.41, 0.54sec ahead of Mel Marshall, with medley ace Hannah Miley on 2:01.25.

Jackson will race the 200m freestyle at the Olympic Games in Beijing following Adlington's withdrawal from the event: the 200m falls in the middle of Adlington's main events, the 400m and 800m freestyle. All those aiming for Beijing are racing in the midst of heavy training here at Liverpool and while the edge is missing yet, the groundwork and skills are solidly in place in many cases.

Jemma Lowe got the touch in the 100m butterfly in 59.01, ahead of 59.07 for Alena Popchanka (FRA, Edinburgh) and 1:00.10 for Ann-Karin Kammerling (SWE), and in the 400m freestyle Robert Renwick held on to win in 3:49.61 as David Davies, Olympic 1,500m free bronze medallist, steamed back over the closing 100m to stop the clock at 3:49.74.

The 50m free sprint went to touring Aussie Jonathon Newton, on 22.51, ahead of Fabien Gilot (FRA) on 22.60, and a tied third place for Simon Burnett (GBR) and backstroke sprint ace Liam Tancock, on 22.91. Julien Sicot (FRA) clocked 22.97. Newton, who stripped off and did his land-based warm-up in the media room, much to the delight of the girls there gathered, is touring for the NSW Institute of Sport and has been given time off the treadmill by his supportive employer, Reuters in Sydney, where he works as an account manager. Newton, 27, beat a field of folk heading to Beijing but won't be there himself, hailing from a nation with the likes of Eamon Sullivan, on that 21.28 scorcher, at the helm.

Kirsty Balfour claimed the 200m breaststroke in 2:32.46 ahead of Sophie De Ronchi, 2:33.45, after Hanna Westrin (SWE) stopped the clock first on a 2:31 but was DQ'd for a faulty turn. The 200m butterfly went to Michael Rock, in 1:57.71, ahead of Todd Cooper, on 2:00.73 and the 50m sprints on backstroke for women and breaststroke for men went to Georgia Davies, on 28.82, and James Gibson, on 28.87. Gregor Tait pipped Marco Loughran in the 100m backstroke and Miley brought the session to a close with a 2:14.15 win just over a second ahead of Elizabeth Simmonds in the 200m medley.