Ponds Forge poised for show-stopping British Champs

Six days of high-quality racing await the hundreds of athletes who are making their way to the Steel City for the event, which will serve as the selection meet for this summer’s World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, as well as multiple international age-group teams.

There are still tickets available to every session, and you can secure yours now through The Ticket Factory. For anyone who cannot make it to Ponds Forge, our Deep End Live coverage is back, live across the British Swimming YouTube channel, with finals also shown on our Facebook page.

The competition kicks off with appearances from medallists at all levels of competition, with Olympic champion Freya Anderson (Women's 200m Freestyle), European gold medallist Freya Colbert (Women's 400m Individual Medley) and European podium-placer Imogen Clark (Women's 50m Breaststroke) among those in action on day one, while Tokyo 2020 medallist James Wilby goes in fastest of the Men's 100m Breaststroke group rounding off the first day of action. 

The British Swimming Championships again feature four finals per event this year – with Junior, Priority Paris, B and A finals for all events up to 400 metres. The winner of the A final is crowned British champion.

Wilby is back in action for the Men’s 50m Breaststroke heats to kick off the second day, with Kathleen Dawson and Medi Harris, who are Olympic and European champions respectively, also vying for the medals on day two in the Women’s 100m Backstroke.

It’s yet another backstroking showdown for Olympic medallist Luke Greenbank and European champion Brodie Williams in the Men’s 100m Backstroke, with the day also featuring Colbert returning for the Women’s 800m Freestyle – which is decided on a heats declared winner (HDW) basis.

Olympic champion Anna Hopkin headlines day three, as she goes in the Women’s 50m Freestyle, before European champion Laura Stephens takes to the blocks as the fastest seed in the Women’s 200m Butterfly.

The halfway point of the competition is then reached following the conclusion of what looks an eye-catching Men’s 100m Freestyle on day three, which sees World Class Programme athletes Tom Dean, Lewis Burras, Jacob Whittle, Duncan Scott, Ed Mildred and Matthew Richards all among those looking to get themselves to the wall first and claim the British title.

European medallist Katie Shanahan kicks off day four as the fastest seed into the Women’s 200m Backstroke, before a showdown between Bath Performance Centre duo James Guy and Jacob Peters in the Men’s 100m Butterfly will be sure to ignite the crowd in attendance.

The day continues with a battle for the British crown in the Women’s 100m Freestyle, before Wilby returns for the Men’s 200m Breaststroke to round off the first four days of competition.

The penultimate day begins with Harris as the fastest seed for the Women’s 50m Backstroke, before Ben Proud, who won European, Commonwealth and world titles in the Men’s 50m Freestyle in 2022, makes his first outing of the competition in the splash and dash, which served up a brilliant domestic contest with Burras last year.

Other races which promise to provide nail-biting encounters on day five include the Men’s 200m Individual Medley, which features a showdown between Dean and Scott – the latter taking silver in the same event at the Olympics in Tokyo just under two years ago.

European champion Abbie Wood is fastest seed in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley, while Commonwealth medallist Dan Jervis opens up the evening session on the Saturday, as he’s fastest into the HDW Men’s 800m Freestyle.

The final day sees Proud return as the fastest seed for the Men’s 50m Butterfly, before Greenbank and Williams battle it out once again in the Men’s 200m Backstroke. The Women’s 100m Butterfly provides the final women’s event during the finals session, which promises a fierce battle between Stephens and Keanna MacInnes.

The final event of the competition will see the final of the Men’s 200m Freestyle, which brings a number of Olympic champions into the fray to fight for the British title. Dean, Scott, Guy and Richards are among a host of names looking to end a packed week of action on a high as the competition draws to a close.

For the full schedule, as well as details on tickets, live streaming and extra information, check out our "What's on?" page.