Renshaw books World Championships final place

The Selston swimmer was looking to follow up last year’s Olympic final in this event, and after qualifying fastest for the semi-finals, she went even quicker in the evening, with her time of 2:23.51 good enough for seventh overall and a place in the final.

To be in with a shot of a medal, Renshaw will likely need to break Jocelyn Ulyett’s British record of 2:22.08 but Renshaw was thrilled just to have made it back to a final after her Rio experience when she finished sixth.

She said: “It was a tough race. After seeing the first semi-final, I knew it would definitely take a 2:23 to make it back.

“So I kind of had to go out and see how fast I could go and then hang on at the end which is tough because I could see the other girls going past me.

“But I just had to get my head down and focus on my own race.

“I have a lane (in the final), they say ‘if you have a lane you have a chance’.

“I’d love to be back around my best, I’m still about a second off but if I can get around my best and down to the British record, I’m guessing that will be around where the medals are.

“I’m feeling pretty comfortable. I think I learned a lot from a Rio last year, I believe in myself a lot more and I don’t doubt myself as much.

“A lot of people see Rio as bittersweet because I missed out on medals but I was more than happy with my performance and I’ve learned so much from it and I’m grateful for it.”

You can help the next generation of young British swimmers by getting involved in SportsAid Week this September with five-time Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds OBE. Find out more about how you can support the week of fun and fundraising by visiting www.sportsaid.org.uk/sportsaidweek.