Fullalove and Vasey GB Standouts at Japan Open

Jessica Fullalove and Sarah Vasey were the stand out performers from a young British team competing at the Japan Open this weekend, as the duo picked up gold medals in the Far East. The team of seven were competing with a view to gaining experience racing against some of the world’s best and with one eye on the 2020 Olympics to be held in Tokyo.

Fullalove took two medals with a dominant gold in the 100m backstroke the highlight, with her winning time of 1:0.31 being 0.85s clear of her nearest challenger. She also mounted the podium in the 50 backstroke, with a swim of 28.64 for the bronze medal.

It was the sprints that gave Vasey her moment in the spotlight as she dropped her personal beast in the 50m breaststroke, dipping under the 31s barrier for the first time with a swim of 30.83 for gold. That was the second time she posted that mark in one day, as she took gold ahead of a Japanese national record from Suzuki Satomi in second. Vasey moves to 5th all time in the GB rankings for the event.

Britain’s other finalist was Max Litchfield who posted a 5th placed finish in the 400 IM in 4:18.66. He also competed in the 200IM, 200 fly, 200 free and and the 400 free for a busy programme

With foreign competitors barred from the B finals, the rest of the team had to be satisfied with heats swims, despite making the top 16 on many occasions. Stockport’s Katie Matts posted a strong 1:09.61 for 13th in the 100 breaststroke and was also placed for the B final in the 50 and 200m events.

Cameron Brodie was placed 14th in the 200 fly, dipping under two minutes in 1:59.03, while Ellena Jones was 17th in the 400 freestyle. Chloe Tutton swam four events, the pick of her results being an 11th placed finish in the 50 breaststroke.

Full results are available here.

Banner image: Twitter/@maxlitch1995