Freya Colbert was in a league of her own at the 2026 GB Swimming Championships on Thursday (16 April), speeding away from the pack to claim her first national title of the season, and in her favoured event no less: the women’s 200m freestyle.
Leading from start to finish, Colbert reached the wall in a time of 1:54.34, smashing the British record she set during last month’s Edinburgh International Swim Meet at 1:54.98. Olympic gold medallist Freya Anderson finished second in 1:57.00
The time further validated the self-described nerd’s decision to shift focus from the women’s 400m individual medley, after finishing fourth at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
She’s now the third fastest swimmer in the distance this season, surpassing Hong Kong, China’s Siobhan Haughey (1:54.85) and tucked in behind Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan (1:53.52) and Canada’s Summer McIntosh (1:53.80).
“I really wanted to go after it last season, and I got the British record in Singapore,” Colbert told broadcasters after the race. “Breaking it again in Edinburgh a month ago was a bit of a shock, so my prep was a bit different mentality.
“I was feeling the pressure a little bit more this year than last year to go faster than I did in Edinburgh, so I’m really happy to get another PB.”
“It’s definitely something me and my coach have been working towards, because by the time we get to LA, I need to be that quick or quicker,” she added with a nervous laugh.
Colbert was far from the only swimmer to light up the London Aquatics Centre with a fast time on day three of the 2026 GB Swimming Championships.
Lauren Cox set the tone with a blistering 27.39 in the women’s 50m backstroke, while Olympic champion Matt Richards led the charge in the men’s 100m freestyle with a time of 47.53 seconds. Angharad Evans took top honours in the women’s 200m breaststroke at 2:19.70.
More action is due up from the 2026 GB Swimming Championships on Friday (17 April).