“How fit is she?! A really cracking swim, wonderfully impressive… holding the end up for the triathletes in the world brilliantly well. I wonder if she’s going to have a crack at coming back to the pool after that?”

Those the words of Andy Jameson, the long-time (and in my opinion, fantastic, voice of swimming in the UK)), after commentating on Lucy-Charles Barclay come within 17 one-hundredths of a second of winning the 1500m on Sunday evening at the British Swimming Selection Trials for the Tokyo Olympics.

While the time (16:46) or the second position won’t result in Olympic selection for the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tatsumi-no-Mori Seaside Park, that was not the objective here. As a goal which “scares you” into doing the work to progress from, in Lucy’s words, starting the year in her lifetime worst swim form, I think everyone can say that was a job very well done.

RESULTS – 1500m, London Aquatic Centre – Sunday 18th April 2021

1st – Leah Crisp (Bath) – 16:46.09
2nd – Lucy Charles-Barclay (Epping Forrest) – 16:46.26
3rd – Emily Clarke (Loughborough University) – 17:01.43

You can watch the full race in the embedded video below – Women’s 1500m from 39:00)