March 14

On a day at the Edinburgh International when AP Race ambassador Filip Nowacki topped a race that marked the competitive return of the man who made those initials famous, Adam Peaty, Freya Colbert stole the show from both of them by taking the British 200m freestyle record below 1:55.

Coached by David Hemmings at the Loughborough Performance Centre, Colbert, stopped the clock in 1:54.98 to shave 0.08sec off the mark she set at Singapore 2025 World Championships last summer with an effort that confined Jo Jackson's 2009 shiny suits standard to history.

Momentum for a bigger, better, faster 4x200m free from Britain's women has been a slow-burn, roller-coaster of a ride since the generation of Karen Pickering and mates at Fukuoka 2021 claimed the World title.

Hope alive followed Colbert home, Abbie Wood and Leah Schlosshan, both at Manchester Performance Centre, on 1:57.23 and 1:58.28 respectively.

Colbert earned plaudits from Hemmings when he noted on social hat she had just retired from an altitude camp:

One big box ticked, Colbert has a 1:54-low in her sights. Speaking through Scottish Swimming, she said:

“My goal at Trials was to go 1:54 and I’ve just done it and I definitely like that. I like the fact that I’m bringing something similar to what the boy’s 200 free have, and I think it’s something that we all have to sit around and watch a lot. It’s other swimmers in Britain. So to sort of try and raise the bar myself, look at them and give them a bit of competition for anticipation around a final session, and different days at trials, that is something that is really, really good, really exciting, and I’m glad all the people are enjoying watching it.”

Nowacki At The Double; Peaty Fourth In First Race Since Paris 2024 Silver

Back in 1986, the Royal Commonwealth Pool was the scene of a rivalry that ended with the two key protagonists celebrating gold in the 'wrong' event: For Victor Davis, the Olympic champion and Wold record holder from Canada, was beaten by England's Adrian Moorhouse in the 200m, but the order was reversed in the 100m two years out from Moorhouse taking the 100m gold at the Seoul 1988 Olympics.

Hallowed waters, then, for Peaty's comeback to racing after a break of one and a half years, during which much has come to pass, no least of all the even that made the 100m breaststroke in Edinburgh the first to feature Adam Peaty as a married man and husband to Holly Ramsay.

Peaty has just returned to Britain from a honeymoon that was followed by some intense return to fitness training in Australia in a reunion with his mentor Mel Marshall. Now home with Repton coach Jamie Main and in a phrase of training that is embracing "new things I've never tried", as the 2016 and 2020one Olympic champion put it, Peaty was called to his blocks amid raucous cheering.

Two lengths later, Peay had clocked a 1:00.74, as the fourth man home in a race with no sub-minute swims and four men within half a second of each other. Britain should have a word with Kirsty Coventry to see if a 4x100 breaststroke might be added to the sheet.

This day in March a month out from Brit trials for the big internationals of the summer, there's considerable weight in arms and legs, and anticipation is best kept for the showdown proper.

Filip Nowacki had the edge on all of them, 1:00.26, Greg Butler, a former training partner of Peaty's at Derby under Marshall's guidance many moons ago, on 1:00.37, Max Morgan on 1:00.54, the World record holder (56.88) next to the wall.

Nowacki - who had a stellar breakthrough year in 2025, with World and European junior titles and records in the mix - said:

“I’m very pleased, I’m around my season’s best and I’ve had a busy programme here, having done the 200 IM and 200 breast yesterday and then the 400 IM as well as the heats for this event this morning. So I’m really pleased to have come through in that race and I mean the competition was just stacked. It’s not just Adam, it’s me and Max too and we have been rivals for two years and then Greg as well. Everyone’s just coming through, so it’s truly amazing.”

Peaty's take:

“Honestly, I don’t really care what the scoreboard says right now. I think this journey is going to be very, very different as I look towards LA. I can’t go into every single competition expecting to be the best or the fastest. It’s just not possible when I’m older. So this one’s a little bit different and yes, life has been pretty busy as well. And it’s just great to be out racing really.”

Scott & Richards At The Double

Meanwhile, another great hauler of sizes for Britain, Duncan Scott completed the medley double with a solid 4:15.94 victory in the 400m final ahead of a 4:19.04 from Max Litchfield, a champion of perseverance who has finished fourth at the past three Olympic Games in that gruelling event.

In other finals, Matt Richards added the 50 free win to his day 1 200 victory in 22.43; Ciara Schlosshan took the 100 'fly in 58.39; Oli Morgan and Lauren Cox both added 50m back wins to their day 1 100m victories, respectively in 24.73 and 27.83; the 800m finals went to Tyler Melbourne-Smith, 7:58.15, and Amelie Blocksidge 8:35.51, Ed Mildred topped the 200 'fly in 1:58.91; and Anna Morgan the 50m breaststroke in 30.78.

• RESULTS IN FULL - Click on 'Latest Results Tab'

Grousset Growls - 22.78 50 'fly in Lausanne

French sprint ace Maxime Grousset topped the billboard at the Lausanne Swim Cup with an early 2026 world-ranks topper 22.78 victory in the 50 'fly ahead of Italy's Thomas Ceccon and Switzerland's Noè Ponti, who where a snap on 23.07.

Grousset's bias was 0.30sec shy of his national mark, a 22.48 set en route to the World title in Singapore last year. He'd already topped the 2026 ranks with a 22.80 at the Austin round of the Pro Swim Series.

Among other winners on day 2 in Lausanne:

Marie Wattel (FRA) 26.09, 50 'fly
Caspar Corbeau (NED) 1:00.07, 100m breaststroke
Alberto Razzetti (ITA) 2:00.47, 200 IM
Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) 2:10.46, 200 IM
Patrick Sammon (USA) 1:47.52, 200 free

• RESULTS IN FULL

Also in the March Vortex:

• Angharad Evans Scares Her Own British Record At Edinburgh International
• Florine Gaspard & Mary-Sophie Harvey At The Double In Lausanne
• Target Practice For A Summer Of Divided Speed
• Speed Unending From McKeown As Perkins Hauls Four Golds at the NSW Championships in Sydney
• Tuning Up In Westmont: Gretchen Walsh, Summer McIntosh, Katie Ledecky, Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Sam Short, Léon Marchand, Carson Foster, Chris Guiliano were among those on the crest of the big-wave surfers starting their steady tune-up a the Swim Pro Series - Westmont

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TIMELINE

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