2025 AQUATICS GB SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 3 on the British Championships noticed some fireworks as Nationwide Report holder and Olympic finalist Oliver Morgan demolished his British document within the 100m backstroke to go 52.12. That point places him at #2 on the earth this 12 months, simply behind Kliment Kolesnikov‘s 52.04 from the Russian Swimming Championships. His time would have positioned second behind Thomas Ceccon‘s 52.00 in Paris, pushing Ryan Murphy off the rostrum.
He was out like a shot, hitting the 50m mark in 25.24, solely half a second off his 50m PB, earlier than powering away from NCAA runner-up Jonny Marshall down the stretch. He now ranks joint-Thirteenth all-time, degree with 2016 US Olympian David Plummer, and is definitely a risk to the rostrum this summer time.
Morgan has had some sturdy in-season instances up to now this 12 months, breaking 53 seconds twice earlier than right now. The primary of these was on the British Universities Championships (BUCS) the place he was 0.01 off his British document to go 52.71, earlier than profitable the occasion on the Edinburgh Worldwide Meet in a time of 52.97.
Cut up
British Champs 2025
British Champs 2024 (Earlier British Report)
BUCS 2025
Edinburgh Worldwide 2025
1st 50
25.24
25.47
25.64
25.69
2nd 50
26.88
27.23
27.07
27.28
Total
52.12
52.70
52.71
52.96
He took time without work each 50’s in comparison with his earlier mark, breaking 27 seconds on the again half for the primary time ever. He confirmed off his improved closing pace again in February with a 27.07 second 50, however took himself into new territory tonight. His first 50 pace might see him creep in the direction of Liam Tancock‘s British Report of 24.04 within the 50 tomorrow.
Worryingly for his worldwide competitors, Morgan’s end had some room for enchancment as he ended up with a slight glide in. Having dropped half a second at Worlds in 2023 and added a tenth in Paris final 12 months, the Birmingham-based swimmer will virtually definitely be on the highest of his sport in Singapore.
After breaking 53 seconds for the primary time at these championships final 12 months, Morgan has now damaged that barrier on eight events to cement himself as one in every of Britain’s best-ever dash backstrokers alongside the aforementioned Tancock and Chris Walker-Hebborn.
The Rise of a Hometown Hero
In his closing 12 months of research at The College of Birmingham, this caps a heady rise for the Ludlow-raised swimmer. He started his time there with PBs of 27.6/56.9/2:04.3 and was the BUCS champion within the 100 in his first 12 months, working down Olympian Andreas Vazaois in a incredible race (right here, 50:17 race begin) to out-touch him 55.20 to 55.22.
Now he had a style for beating Olympians, he did so once more within the 50m backstroke skins on the Edinburgh worldwide the subsequent month, outsprinting Joe Litchfield within the third and closing spherical. He took that momentum to Sheffield , the place he made a pair of ‘A’ finals on the 2022 British championship. He completed sixth within the 50 in 25.54 and seventh within the 100 in 55.13 – and this was the final time he has been overwhelmed at a Nationwide Championships.
Morgan swept the three backstroke occasions in 2023, utilizing his trademark closing pace and lengthy attain to win the 100 and 200 backstrokes by a mixed 0.03 seconds. Having received the 100 in 53.92 over second-placed Cam Brooker‘s 53.94, he then received the longer occasion over worldwide medalists Luke Greenbank and Brodie Williams with a 29.64 closing 50. That gave him a 3 second PB on the day, as he went 1:57.17 having by no means damaged two minutes earlier than.
Swimming at his first world Championships in Fukuoka, he certified for the semi-finals in each the 100 and 200. He completed a heartbreaking ninth in each, closest within the 100 the place he was simply 0.05 behind eventual bronze medalist Hunter Armstrong, however dropped his 100 right down to 53.25 to make him the second-fastest Brit in historical past behind Liam Tancock.
That solely added gas to the hearth for the 2023/24 season. Having been simply off his PB with a 53.31 BUCS document in February he went into the Olympic trials with one objective in thoughts, saying he could be upset not the break Tancock’s supersuited mark of 52.73. He almost did so within the heats along with his first foray underneath the 53-second barrier to go 52.87, earlier than clipping the mark within the closing in a time of 52.70 to present him his first British Report.
The 200 was an virtually carbon copy of the earlier 12 months, with Morgan coming from over a physique size again to take first in one other PB of 1:56.27, capped by a depraved closing 50 break up of 29.26. The clear #1 British backstroker, Morgan went into the Paris Video games with the real looking objective of an Olympic closing.
In a pool broadly seen to be on the sluggish facet, Morgan moved confidently by means of the rounds in instances of 53.44-52.85-52.84, qualifying seventh into the 100m backstroke closing earlier than ending eighth, swimming subsequent to eventual bronze medalist Ryan Murphy. From solely swimming six hours per week at Ludlow swimming membership, the place he’s nonetheless nicely concerned working clinics and serving to fundraise, to rubbing shoulders with a few of the prime swimmers on the planet (a bunch he can rely himself amongst), it has been a meteoric rise for the 21-year-old.
His in-season instances this 12 months confirmed an athlete on the cusp of one thing huge and he greater than backed that up within the finals tonight. He has swum a finest time in each nationwide closing he has swum in because the 2022 British Championships, a streak stretching 9 races over 4 editions up to now. With constructive indicators for each his front- and back-end pace, he might do one thing particular within the 50 and 200 later within the week.
Wanting Ahead – A Medal Contender in Singapore?
Morgan had beforehand held the highest spot within the world rankings this 12 months, earlier than being overtaken by Hubert Kos and a trio of Russian athletes, and now jumps again as much as #2. Solely two tenths now separates 4 males on the prime, and not one of the Paris Olympic podium are amongst them. All 4 would have positioned second final summer time with their instances from this 12 months.
After it took a fast 52.95 to make the ultimate in Paris on this occasion, the primary time a sub-53 has been required for the top-eight, the same time is unlikely to take action in Singapore this summer time. Including Hunter Armstrong and Apostolos Christou to the seven already talked about, there are 9 males with a private better of 52.2 or higher who we might count on to closing; a minimum of a kind of will miss out.
High 10 Lively Swimmers by PB (max 2 per nation)
Thomas Ceccon – 51.60 (2022)
Kliment Kolesnikov – 51.82 (2023)
Ryan Murphy – 51.85 (2016)
Xu Jiayu – 51.86 (2017)
Hunter Armstrong – 51.98 (2022)
Miron Lifintsev – 52.08 (2024)
Apostolos Christou – 52.09 (2022)
Oliver Morgan – 52.12(2025)
Hubert Kos – 52.24 (2025)
Yohann Ndoye-Brouard – 52.50 (2022)
The final British medalist on this occasion was Liam Tancock who took bronze again in 2007 in a time of 53.61, behind the American pair of Aaron Peirsol and Ryan Lochte. Together with his excellent swimming pace, unflappable coolness and much-improved underwaters (watch that race in opposition to Vazaois), it will not be a shock to see him reprise the position of the person whose document he took final 12 months.
Energy in depth for GB
Having mentioned this morning that his plan for this night was “to go quicker”, he definitely confirmed that might execute that plan. He mentioned after the race:
“I’m fairly pleased with that, it’s form of all come collectively. Coaching has been depraved , in season swims have been fairly enjoyable so it’s good to place all of it collectively when it counts. I used to be making an attempt to remain as managed as doable (on that first 25), however the adrenaline does take you thru”
Behind Morgan in second tonight was Jonny Marshall with a time of 53.21, simply off his finest time from this time final 12 months of 53.03. He was a devastating 0.01 exterior the 53.20 wanted to qualify for Singapore, though he could be a discretionary choose to again Morgan up on the relays, however his making the group within the 50 or 200.
He was out with Morgan, splitting 25.69 on the primary 50 however couldn’t reside with the Birmingham swimmer’s closing pace. Marshall was the runner-up on the latest NCAA championships, ending 0.02 behind Hubert Kos in 43.22. He mentioned this morning that he’d solely come again over from the US the opposite week and continues to be feeling his method again within the huge pool, so could develop into his swims this week.
Luke Greenbank was sixth in 53.76, as GB put six males underneath the World Aquatics ‘A’ minimize of 53.94. 4 of these went finest instances in tonight’s closing, with the Tub trio of Matthew Ward, Cameron Brooker and Jack Skerry taking third by means of fifth in 53.52, 53.63 and 53.73 respectively.
Simply two years in the past this occasion was received by Morgan in a time of 53.77, which might have been seventh behind Greenbank right now. With Jonathon Adam holding a PB of 53.45 from the inaugural European U23 championships in 2023 the place he took gold, there are seven British swimmers with World semi-final degree instances. A renaissance of kinds, led by a person who could quickly grow to be the face of British Swimming.
