PLYMOUTH Leander’s Laura Stephens was among the winners at the BUCS Short Course Swimming Championships at Ponds Forge at the weekend.

Great Britain international Stephens stormed to victory in the women’s 200m butterfly in Sheffield. She won by nearly three seconds, clocking 2:06.47. Her former Plymouth College team-mate Charlotte Atkinson, who competes for Loughborough, was second in 2:09.30.

Plymouth University student Stephens also took bronze in a thrilling 100m butterfly final. Edinburgh’s Tain Bruce won in a new championship record of 57.55 seconds, with Atkinson taking silver in 57.87 and Stephens touching in 58.55.

Stephens’ Plymouth team-mate Edoardo Valsecchi also won a butterfly bronze over 100m. He clocked 53.51 seconds to make the podium in the men’s race. He just missed out on adding another medal in the 50m butterfly final, where he finished fourth. Valsecchi also made the 200m final.

Another Plymouth medallist in South Yorkshire was Adam Chillingworth. He claimed bronze in a strong men’s 200m breaststroke final. Commonwealth Games champion and European silver medallist James Wilby won in 2:08.14, with another Great Britain international Craig Benson taking second in 2:09.18 and Chillingworth third in 2:09.80.

Former Plymouth College and Marjon student Tom Fannon, who has recently moved to Loughborough University, won the men’s 50m freestyle title in 21.85 seconds.