Shropshire swimmer sets world record
Shropshire swimming star Chris Walker-Hebborn took golden glory in the world championships – and bagged a world record to boot.
The former Ellesmere Titan teamed up with Adam Peaty, Fran Halsall and Siobhan-Marie O'Connor to win the mixed 4 x 100m medley at Kazan, Russia.
And they stopped the clock in a world-record time of three minutes and 41.71 seconds.
The gold medal crowned a superb games for Walker-Hebborn, now based at the University of Bath, who was a fine fifth in Tuesday's 100m backstroke final.
The Commonwealth and European champion was only eighth-fastest in Monday's semi-finals, but produced the goods the following day and was just four-tenths of a second away from a medal.
He clocked 53.02 – just outside his personal best – and Walker-Hebborn was more than happy.
He said: "That is the second quickest I have ever been and, considering how the last two rounds went, I am really pleased with that."
Walker-Hebborn was the quicker of the two Britons in the backstroke final – Liam Tancock was eighth in 53:37 – and that booked what turned out to be a golden spot in last night's relay.
Team-mate Peaty had already won his second gold in Kazan with victory in the 50m breaststroke final in a time of 26.51 seconds.
The Staffordshire-born star finished strongly to touch first ahead of second-placed Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa (26.66) and third-placed American Kevin Cordes (26.86).
It was Britain's third gold in the swimming pool, after Peaty won the 100m title on Monday night and James Guy took the men's 200m freestyle on Tuesday.
But a fourth was not long in coming from the medley team. "We fought for every inch there," said Peaty after the relay triumph. "We left it all on the battlefield."
