Miley misses out on the medals

SIoBHaN-MaRIE o’Connor last night helped push the evergreen Scot Hannah Miley out of the medals at the British Gas Swimming Championships at Tollcross, Glasgow. Miley, the 24-year-old from Inverurie, will defend the 400metres medley at Glasgow 2014 but the English teenager proved that Scottish medal chances will be far tougher in the 200m. Miley was the fastest qualifier from the heats but she was always trailing behind the hot pace set by 18-year-old o’Connor, who had won the 200m freestyle on Thursday. o’Connor’s time of 2min 9.71sec was not only a new English record but the second fastest time in the world this year. aimee Wilmott was second in 2:10.80 while Miley, the champion for six years and bronze medallist 12 months ago, had to settle for fourth in 2:11.99. ‘I’m really happy with the swim,’ said o’Connor who trains alongside Scot Michael Jamieson at Bath University. For the University of Stirling’s Ross Murdoch, there was yet another superb swim in the 50m breaststroke. He was fastest in the semi-finals in 27.57sec. on Saturday, Murdoch won the 100m breaststroke in a Scottish record 59.56sec, Jamieson took bronze and seventh-placed Craig Benson (1:01.50) completed an impressive Scottish hat-trick by clinching a Commonwealth Games nomination time. For Jamieson, third place in 1:00.53 confirmed that he will be concentrating on his favoured 200m at Glasgow 2014, when he will be aiming to go one better than his olympic silver medal.

ELSPETH BURNSIDE