This afternoon at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, Sophie Casson, swam a tactical race to become the National women's 800m free champion. The Final heat of the afternoon involved many of the leading 800m swimmers in the country, including Cassie Pattern(Olympic Bronze medallist, 10K), Katy Whitfield(World Championships 10K).
Sophie swam a superb race, marshalling the field until the last 200m when she took control of the race and eventually finished in 8:44.12. Her time was just outside her personal best but this performance has set her up for an assault on the 1500m free later in the week.