Swimming: Robbie Renwick eyeing Barcelona medal

Robbie Renwick, the Commonwealth Games 200m freestyle Champion, is dipping his toes into open water racing today.

But the one mile race at Lake Windermere is little more than a distraction from his main goal of a medal at next month’s world championships in a pool in Barcelona.

Yesterday, the 24-year-old was in more familiar territory at the Scottish Gas National Open Championships at the Tollcross International Centre and the City of Glasgow man delighted the home crowd with a comfortable win in the 400m freestyle.

Renwick only qualified second behind Perth teenager Stephen Milne, but the two-time Olympian put the youngster in his place and took the gold in 3:49.84. Milne settled for silver in 3:56.59.

“I was really happy with today’s time,” he said before packing his bags in readiness for the Lake District trip. “I wasn’t too sure of my form coming into the event but a now I’m really looking forward to the world championships trials in Sheffield in two weeks’ time.”

The world championships are next month and Renwick is aiming to go to Spain and compete for Team GB in three individual events – the 400m 200m and 100m freestyle – and a relay.

“My dream is to win a medal, but the first priority will be to make a final,” he said.

Hannah Miley, another two-time Olympian and Commonwealth 400m medley champion, collected her third and fourth golds of the Championships.

She clocked 2:13.05 in the 200m individual medley and then added the 800m freestyle in 8:45.91.

Stirling University’s Dan Sliwinski, an Englishman who missed out on the Olympics last year through a shoulder injury, confirmed he has not lost his appetite for the sport by winning the 50m breaststroke in 28.09.

West Dunbartonshire’s Ross Murdoch was second in 28.18 and Warredner’s Craig Benson, the teenage Scottish Olympian, had to make do with ninth in 29.96.

Kathryn Johnstone (Edinburgh University) won the 100m breaststroke in 1:08.53.

Lucy Hope (BEST) is just 16, but the girl who has won Brodies Scottish Schools’ top swimmer award for the past two years underlined he promise by winning the 200m backstroke in 2:14.42.

Cameron Brodie (University of Stirling) was a Commonwealth Games silver medallist in the 4x 220m relay and the 21-year-old proved he is ready for Glasgow 2014 by winning the 200m butterfly in 2:02.17.