Rebecca Adlington storms to second British title

Double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington claimed her second title of the week after she edged out Jazmin Carlin to win the 200 metres freestyle title at the British Gas Swimming Championships in Manchester.

The 22-year-old was fourth at the final turn but she powered through and held off Commonwealth silver medallist Carlin to touch in one minute 58.90 seconds, 0.13secs ahead. Keri-Anne Payne, who last night set a new British record in the 1,500m freestyle, led until the halfway stage and she maintained her form to finish third.

Rebecca Turner was fourth with former 400m freestyle world record holder Jo Jackson, who led at the last turn, fifth. While Carlin's time was outside that needed to qualify for the individual race at the World Championships in Shanghai, the Welshwoman has already made the team in the 400m freestyle where she again finished second behind Adlington.

The top four have also qualified for the 4x200m relay, although fifth-placed Jackson will have to wait to learn if she will be selected for one of the two reserve places.

Adlington said: "I knew it was going to be a close race. As I said yesterday, (there was) a second between us girls. I knew it was going to be like that.

"It was just fight, just fight all the way and don't stop fighting."

The Nova Centurion swimmer was not concerned about her time, saying: "That time isn't massively quick compared to the rest of the world. This time of year it's about the racing and getting involved and that is what I have done this week and I am so pleased."

With Adlington planning to race the individual event in Shanghai it would see her launch a four-pronged medal attempt.

Both Michael Rock and Joe Roebuck qualified for Shanghai after they fought out a private duel in the 200m butterfly.

Rock, who beat Michael Phelps in this venue in the Duel in the Pool in December 2009, led from the start and was half a body length ahead at the halfway stage.

The final length saw Roebuck, the European 200m individual medley bronze medallist, making inroads into Rock's lead but the Stockport ITC swimmer held on to touch in 1:56.31.

Roebuck, of Loughborough University, was 0.36 behind with both men inside the required time for China.

Defending champion Adam Brown is fastest into the final of the 100m freestyle.

Commonwealth bronze medallist Georgia Davies is fastest in the 50m backstroke in an event missing 100m champion Gemma Spofforth and European 200m champion Lizzie Simmonds, both of whom chose not to compete.