Aimee Willmott

BUCS hat-tricks for Proud and Willmott

25 Feb 2014

Ben Proud and Aimee Willmott scooped golden hat-tricks as a number of British swimmers impressed at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Long Course Championships in Sheffield.

Plymouth Leander swimmer Proud opened his account with gold in the 50m Freestyle, winning the final in 22.35 after a 22.27 effort in the heats.

He added a second title with a 49.99 victory in the 100m Free before clocking 23.90 in the heats and 24.12 in the final to claim his third gold in the 50m Butterfly.

Middlesborough’s Willmott claimed her first gold in her main event, the 400m Individual, touching in 4:40.32 to win by more than four seconds.

She followed that up with victories in the 200m Backstroke (2:12.99) and 200m Breaststroke (2:30.65), the latter in a personal best.

Competing in the heats as a guest entry, Stirling’s Ross Murdoch impressed with two swims which would have taken gold in the respective finals.

The 20-year old, who made his World Championship debut in 2013, clocked 27.89 in the 50m Breaststroke and 1:00.52 in the 100m Breast.

Chris Walker-Hebborn also starred as a guest entry with a 25.53 blast in the 50m Backstroke heats and 54.59 in the heats of the 100m Back.

Other notable results were a 2:12.02 effort from Andrew Willis for gold in the 200m Breaststroke as well as double golds from Rebecca Turner (100m Free – 55.59, 200m Free – 1:59.06), Nick Grainger (400m Free – 3:51.76, 1500m Free – 15:20.49) and Kathryn Johnstone (50m Breast – 31.88, 100m Breast 1:09.72).