World Championship Medal for Britain's Miley
Hannah Miley won Great Britains first medal of the World Short-Course Championships as she took bronze in the 400m Individual Medley at the Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha.
The Garioch swimmer went in as defending champion in the event but it was Mireia Belmonte of Spain who not only took the title but also set a new world record ahead of pre-race favourite Katinka Hosszu.
While the 25-year-old was the only British finalist tonight, Adam Peaty set a new British 100m Breaststroke Record for the second time in little more than seven hours.
Sixth after the opening Butterfly leg, Miley produced her customary march through the field and was third at the halfway point, a position she never relinquished.
Beaming after the race, Miley said: “I am really pleased. The target was to try and come away with a medal so to come away with a bronze, I am really chuffed with it.
“Last season my short course wasn’t the best but then it worked out pretty well for me in the long course so I didn’t know what to expect from this short-course season.
“I came into it with no real expectations: I know I was going in defending my title but I knew that would be a very tough ask.
“I am obviously delighted for how Mireia and Katinka swam: it was a great race to be part of and I am really happy that I’ve come away faster than what I did last season.
“Obviously not my fastest swim – I did that two years ago – but hopefully it is a step in the right direction for me to progress further in my long-course season next year because that is the main aim.”
Peaty had another fine day in the pool. The 19-year-old had taken 0.50secs off Michael Jamieson’s British mark from December 2013 in the morning heats with a time of 57.02 before returning to set a new national mark of 56.43, also a championship record, in the semi-finals.
Of the new mark he said: “To be honest when I came out tonight I wasn’t really thinking about the race. I was thinking more about what is going on, not even in this arena, I have kept my head away from it.
“When I get out on those blocks and get my head down, the guy in my head automatically just switches on and everything gets to work.”
Of his ambitions for the final, the Mel Marshall-trained athlete said: “Gold – under 56 would be a dream because I’m not really a short-course swimmer.”
Also through to tomorrow’s finals was Georgia Davies, fourth fastest in the 100m Backstroke.
Adam Barrett was locked out of the 100m Butterfly final by just 0.09secs in ninth, Chris Walker-Hebborn was 10th in the 100m Backstroke and Sophie Taylor was 11th in the 50m Breaststroke.
In the morning session, James Guy and Barrett did not make it out of a very strong 200m Freestyle field while Miley finished 38th in the 50m Breaststroke, her time of 31.84 a personal best.
The British Gas GBR Swimming team comprises:
Adam Barrett - British Gas GBR National Centre, Loughborough
James Guy - Millfield
Adam Peaty – City of Derby
Ben Proud – Plymouth Leander
Chris Walker-Hebborn - British Gas GBR National Centre, Bath
Jazz Carlin – Swansea Performance Centre
Georgia Davies - British Gas GBR National Centre, Loughborough
Fran Halsall - British Gas GBR National Centre, Loughborough
Hannah Miley – Garioch
Siobhan Marie O’Connor - British Gas GBR National Centre, Bath
Sophie Taylor – City of Leeds
