Pathway to the Top – 200m Individual Medley

This is the seventh event in Pathway to the Top and we will look at the 200m Individual Medley. This, along with the 100m, tends to be a reasonably popular event probably as it gives the swimmer an opportunity to swim all four individual strokes.

However, there are only three swimmers from the current squads who are in the top 50 list, two male and one female, and there is a bit of an anomaly in the female rankings.

Top of the female rankings is Nicola Lamb with a time of 2 minutes 21.58 seconds recorded at SNAGS in April 2011. However, this is NOT a club shortcourse record as the time is a converted long course time. The club short course record is held by Sarah Chapman who recorded a time of 2 minutes 22.30 at the Scottish National Short Course Open Championships in January 2009. Erin Taylor is the only current squad member in the top 50, in 4th place, with a time of 2 minutes 24.65 seconds recorded at the east District Time Trials in September 2019, so not too far away from the top spot or the current record.

For those aspiring to enter the top 50 the time to beat is 2 minutes 46.23 seconds set by Vicki Bradford at Carnegie in April 1988.

On the male side Mark Scott is the highest ranked swimmer in 15th place with a time of 2 minutes 17.97 seconds set at the Scottish Winter Championships in December 2021. Top of the rankings is Mark Hutton who recorded a time of 2 minutes 10.81 seconds at Carnegie in September 1991. Given time, that is not outwith Mark’s potential but even a two second improvement would move Mark up to 9th place. The second swimmer from the current squads is Blair Wardlaw who, unfortunately, is sitting in 50th place. The better news, however, is that Blair would only need to improve by 0.26 seconds to move up a place and a two second PB would move Blair up to 47th. Blair recoded his time of 2 minutes 31.31 seconds at the Fife Leagues in September 2019, and that is the time that the aspiring swimmers must beat to move into the to 50.

It may seem a bit away for some of the younger swimmers but anything is possible.

‘Labore et Scientia’ – through hard work and understanding