Swimming: Lewis Smith finishes fast to take medley gold

Scotland's Lewis Smith won a thrilling final of the 400m individual medley in the final event at yesterday's British Gas ASA National Championships at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

With a powerful finish, the Warrender swimmer touched in 4:16.26, leaving his Welsh rival, Cardiff's Thomas Haffield, having to settle for second in 4:16.53.

Rebecca Adlington, the double Olympic champion, showed an impressive turn of form in the run-up to next month's World Championships in Shanghai with an outstanding victory in the 800m freestyle.

The Nottingham 22-year-old had already qualified for the Worlds by winning the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle at the first round of British trials in Manchester in March, and she was using this week as no more than a gentle warm-up before the China showdown in six weeks' time.

In a class of her own last night, Adlington won in a very comfortable 8:24.77 and took the gold by over nine seconds from Sheffield's Ellie Faulkner. It wasn't as fast as Adlington's winning time in March, but she now holds the first, second and fifth fastest times in the world this year.

Scot Hannah Miley, who will be a medal contender in the 400m individual medley in Shanghai, also took on the gruelling marathon event and was rewarded with a bronze medal in a very creditable 8:35.30. Another Scot, Megan Gilchrist, was fourth in 8:41.78.

England's Lizzie Simmonds is expected to be one of the major home threats at next year's Olympic Games in London and she hit form to claim a second World Championship qualifying place.

Simmonds suffered a setback at the first round of trials when she not only came off second best to her British rival, Gemma Spofforth, but also missed out on a qualifying time for Shanghai. But the Loughborough 20-year-old bounced back to win the 100m backstroke within the qualifying time on Tuesday and she can now double up in China following her victory in a time of 2:07.48 that left everyone else trailing in her wake in the 200m event.

Spofforth, who has sat out these Championships, won gold in the 100m backstroke at the World Championships in Rome and both English swimmers will be aiming for podium places in Shanghai as the perfect boost before London 2012.

Edinburgh University's Kathryn Johnstone continued her improvement by claiming a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke.

Stacey Tadd won with an English record of 1:09.14 and the Scot, who made last year's Commonwealth Games as a 50m specialist, clocked 1:11.04, just pipping Georgina Heyn's 1:11.12.