Jacob Whittle prepares for Tokyo in style with medals in Glasgow

Jacob Whittle competes in the men's 100m freestyle final during the British Swimming Glasgow Meet. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

The event at the Tollcross International Sports Centre saw finals staged in the morning and heats in the evening, just as will be the case at the Games in Tokyo which begin next month.

Whittle was among several members of the Team GB squad in action, including Buxton’s Abbie Wood and Mansfield’s Molly Renshaw, blitzing his own British age-group record to secure a second personal best for the meet – having also done so in the heats – and win the men’s 100m freestyle title in 48.55.

Whittle, who attends Tupton Hall School near Chesterfield and trains with the Derbyshire elite squad Derventio Excel as well as at Loughborough University, built a lead in the second 25m and didn’t relent, eventually beating fellow young talents Matthew Richards and Ed Mildred to the title.

Whittle said: “It was a good swim. I'm feeling really tired now.

"I didn't have many expectations coming in, I'm training really hard so to come here and do PBs is really good, and I'm really pleased with the 100m.

“I'm really excited to see what's yet to come. I'm not tapered, unshaved, so there's more there and I'm really excited for the summer.”

Previously competing in the prelims session, Whittle, who doesn’t turn 17-years-old until September, sliced 0.01 off his previous PB of 48.76 set back at the Olympic trials in April which he went into with a PB of 49.97.

It proved merely a whetting of the palate, as he then took another 0.20 off in the final.

Meanwhile, in the 50m freestyle final, Whittle was second in 22.55, while he took sixth in the 200m freestyle final.

Whittle’s success in Glasgow followed an impressive showing whilst competing at the European Championships in Hungary in May.

He helped the 4 x 100m mixed freestyle relay and 4 x 100m men’s freestyle relay qualify for their finals, with these teams going on to win gold and silver medals respectively.

Prior to the Olympic Games, the GB swimmers will have a two-week training camp in Japan. The swimming events will then take place in Tokyo from Saturday, July 24 until August 1.