Swimming: Payne celebrates GB call with win

Warrender’s Keri-anne Payne had double cause for celebration yesterday.

She heard she had been selected to represent GB for the defence of the Open Water event at next month’s World Championships in Barcelona and then won the 800m freestyle at the East District Open at Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool, writes Elspeth Burnside.

In the first final of a meet that has attracted a host of British Olympians – they are using it as a warm-up for the forthcoming World Championship swimming trials in Sheffield – Payne struck gold in 8:34.27. The 25-year-old double Olympian led from the start and posted a season’s best time in finishing over 12 secs ahead of Danielle Huskisson, who trains at Stirling University and has been named alongside Payne in the GB women’s World Championship Open Water team. The 20-year-old student recorded a personal best time of 8:47,19, with Rachel Williams (Bath University) taking bronze in 8:49.92.