Silver double... but Jess wanted gold

Reporter: BEN BAKER
Date published: 19 August 2014


 SWIMMING: 

JESSICA Fullalove claimed two Youth Olympic Games silver medals yesterday - but the Royton swimmer thought she should have done even better.

After qualifying fastest for the women’s 100m backstroke final on Sunday, Fullalove headed back to the Nanjing water 24 hours later with gold in sight.

But she had to settle for second best as she touched home in 1:01.23 minutes - 0.01 seconds behind American winner Clara Smiddy.

Crompton House School pupil Jess admitted that coming so close to the gold medal was a bitter pill.

“I’m happy with silver, but coming that close to gold was really gutting,” she said. “I will be happy, but right now I’m a little disappointed.

“The gold was everything I was working for and to end up with silver isn’t what I wanted.”

Fullalove had little time to reflect as she went straight back in the water to lead Team GB’s 4x100m medley women’s team, putting the quartet in first place after her swim.

After Georgina Evans had followed suit, Charlotte Evans slipped back into second and Amelia Maughan kept them there for Fullalove’s second silver in minutes.

“I am really proud of all our efforts in the relay. We worked so hard for this and fully deserved the medal,” Fullalove added.

“Deep down we were going for gold and would have loved to get it but it is a six-second personal best from the morning so we couldn’t have done any more.”