Hannah Miley seizes opportunity by fending off Chinese prodigy and striking gold

Hannah Miley held off Olympic champion Ye Shiwen to claim Great Britain’s first gold medal of the World Short-Course Championships when she won the 400 metres individual medley in Istanbul.

Ye was at the centre of the biggest controversy in the pool at the 2012 Olympics, her freestyle leg en route to victory in the eight-length event almost defying belief.

In London, the Chinese teenager was just three hundredths of a second slower over the final 100m than Ryan Lochte, winner of the men’s race. Indeed, her last length was faster than four in the men’s final, including Lochte and Thiago Pereira, the gold and silver medallists.

Miley, fifth in London, had qualified fastest into the final, but predicted it would be a different race come last night, claiming the Chinese teenager was “playing” in this morning’s heats.

Fourth after the butterfly and backstroke legs, Miley then produced a superb breaststroke to turn first going into the freestyle, 2.04 seconds ahead of Ye.

However, as expected, Ye came back and on her final 25m of 28.14 secs, the only sub 29-second last length in the field, she reeled Miley in.

The Scot, though, was breathing to her right where she could see her rival, whom she held off by 0.19s to win in a new championship record of four minutes 23.14 seconds, the fastest ever in a textile suit, bettering her own mark from the European titles last month.

The 23-year-old “was hanging on for dear life” and admitted the achievement had significance for both her and her father and coach Patrick, vindicating their approach after the Olympics.

Miley said: “A lot of top athletes aren’t here, so for me I see it as an opportunity and any opportunity I see, I try and take it.

“So for me I was aiming for it to be a confidence booster for both myself and my dad and what we are doing this season.

“Not only were we trying to chase placings, but also to do a really good time which I was really happy with. The main thing is long-course (50m) swimming so I am really happy with what I’ve done, but for me I am not going to be happy with it until I can prove I can do it long course as well.

“Hindsight is a great thing and lots of people have cliches and I was genuinely happy with that swim, but for me I probably wouldn’t be the athlete I am here today doing those times if the Olympics hadn’t have happened.”

The Garioch swimmer then swam the fastest British leg as the 4x200m freestyle relay team finished fifth.

Miley’s was the second medal of the night for Britain after Jemma Lowe was third in the 200m butterfly.

The 22-year-old was sixth at the Olympics in the summer, but has a good short-course record having finished second at the last 25m worlds in Dubai two years ago.

Seventh fastest into the final, the Swansea ITC swimmer was unaffected by swimming from lane one, despite being unaware of what the expected contenders were doing.

She led at the 150m mark and, although she was overtaken by Hungarian Katinka Hosszu and 2012 Olympic champion Jiao Liuyang, she lowered her own British record to 2mins 03.19secs for bronze.

Lowe said: “I’m really pleased with that. I didn’t know what to expect after this morning when I was in that slow heat by myself and I just scraped into the final.

“Because I have won a medal previously at world short course I was really determined to get up there so I just gave it my very best tonight and I can’t believe how it worked out.”

There was no such satisfaction for Michael Jamieson, the Olympic 200m breaststroke silver medallist. The Glaswegian was frustrated, despite setting a new personal best of 58.56 in the 100m breaststroke, only good enough for 12th.

He said: “It’s the same old story on the 100, I just can’t keep up with the bigger guys. It’s frustrating, it’s the fastest I have ever been, but I am getting to the stage with the 200m that if I am ever going to improve then my 100 needs to come down.”

That was in contrast to Georgia Davies, another Swansea ITC swimmer, who set a personal best of 57.41 to qualify third for the 100m backstroke final.

Lizzie Simmonds was 10th in 58.34, although her focus is on the 200m since her move to Bath ITC.

The United States enjoyed a highly successful start to the meet with three gold medals, 11-time Olympic champion Ryan Lochte taking two, in the 200m freestyle and the 4x100m freestyle relay.

The USA women won the 4x200m relay.