Sarah Price will be out to recapture the world record for the 200m backstroke when she represents Britain in the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Antwerp this weekend.
The 22-year-old Barnet Copthall star became the fastest ever in the event when she clocked 2min 4.44sec in the Australian Short Course Championships in Perth in August. But American Natalie Coughlin was fractionally faster with 2min 3.52sec in the Fina World Cup in New York last month.
Price's coach Rhys Gormley said: "Natalie has terrific speed off the wall at the turn but Sarah has the faster basic speed, and we expect her to take back the world record soon. It could happen in Antwerp, where she is also swimming the 100m."
Price was in tremendous form in the British Grand Prix at Bath over the weekend, and now has the proud distinction of being the holder of all six British women's backstroke records (short course and long course).
Victory in the 200m backstroke (long course) in 2min 10.9sec, completed her monopoly.
She also took the 100m in 1min 01.45sec, only nine-tenths of a second outside her own national record, and won the 50m in 29.4sec, only a tenth-of-a-second slower than her record. The 50m was swam as an elimination event, with the slowest swimmer in each of a series of races being eliminated. Price won the final.
December 12, 2001 18:14
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