Three Scots - Caitlin McClatchey, Andrew Hunter and Robbie Renwick  - all but secured selection for this summer’s world championships after they produced fine swims in the 200m freestyle on the third day of the British Gas Championships at the Ponds Forge Pool in Sheffield.

In the women’s final, McClatchey, a double Commonwealth Games Champion, was a close second behind her Loughborough University training partner and the Britain’s newest swimming  superstar, Jo Jackson.

Jackson followed her superb world record in the opening day’s 400m freestyle with a new Commonwealth and British record of 1:56.47.

McCatchey touched in 1:57.58 and should easily have done enough to secure her place in the 4 x 200m relay squad for the world championships in Rome in July.

In the same race, Scot Hannah Miley, who had clinched her ticket to Rome by winning the 200m medley, was fourth in 1:59.42.

“I’m training with Jo and she’s doing so well,” said McClatchey. “With Rebecca Adlington (the double Olympic champion) also in our relay squad, hopefully we can show he rest of the world what we are made of at the world champs.”

In the men’s 200m, Hunter (Stirling) and Renwick (City of Glasgow) finished second and fourth respectively. Hunter touched in 1:47.14 behind the English record of 1:46.50 claimed by Loughborough’s Ross Davenport, wile Renwick clocked 1:48.45.

In the 100m breaststroke final, Edinburgh’s Kris Gilchrist, the quickest in qualifying, had to settle for second place behind English veteran James Gibson. The Englishman’s time was 1:00.22 and Gilchrist touched in 1:00.98.
 
But with the 200m breaststroke as his specialist distance, the 25-year-old Scot is still hopeful of winning a title and clinching his selection for Rome before the second and final trials at the Scottish Championships in June. The 200m heats and semi-finals take place today.

“The aim was to come here and win the 200m, and anything I achieved in the 100m was just going to be a bonus,” admitted Gilchrist, who made his Olympic debut in Beijing last year and is now training in France with former City of Edinburgh coach, Fred Vergnoux.

In the 200m medley, Stockport’s James Goddard clinched gold in 1:57.99 with Warrender’s Lewis Smith in second place and just ahead of fellow-Scot, Michael Jamieson (Edinburgh University). Smith’s 2:01.05 was more than second inside his previous best and Jamieson also set a career swim of 2:01.48.F

For Smith, it was a second silver medal to set alongside the 400m freestyle – he will be hoping to go one better at the Scottish Championships and earn his ticket to Italy.