The British Olympic Association (BOA) today announced the 26-strong swimming squad who have been selected to Team GB for this summer’s Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The 26 athletes sealed their spots on the plane to Rio with their performances at last week’s British Swimming Championships.
Adam Peaty leads the way for Team GB with World and European titles to his name as well as world-record times in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke.
Peaty will be joined in Rio by fellow World Champion James Guy, World individual medallists Jazz Carlin and Siobhan-Marie O’Connor as well as four members of the World Championship winning men’s 4x200m freestyle relay squad.
As well as Olympic debuts for Peaty, Guy and Carlin, the squad sees some familiar Team GB faces with O’Connor, Andrew Willis and Hannah Miley all returning again after appearing four years ago at London 2012. And in Robbie Renwick Team GB has the invaluable experience of two previous Olympic Games.
April 27 will mark 100 days to go until Rio 2016 gets underway and the 26 swimmers bring the total number of Team GB athletes selected for the Games to 47 with 11 sailors, six shooters and four slalom canoeists already announced.
The selected swimmers are:
James Guy, 20, born in Bury, swims for Millfield
Adam Peaty, 21, Uttoxeter, City of Derby
Max Litchfield, 21, Sheffield, City of Sheffield
Jazz Carlin, 25, Swindon, National Centre Bath
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, 20, Bath, National Centre Bath
Andrew Willis, 25, Frimley, National Centre Bath
Hannah Miley, 26, Swindon, Garioch
Ben Proud, 21, London, Plymouth Leander
The athletes above gained selection after they won their event and achieved the nomination standard at the 2016 British Championships as per the BOA selection policy.
Chloe Tutton, 19, Pontypridd, City of Cardiff
Ross Murdoch, 22, Balloch, University of Stirling
Stephen Milne, 21, Inverness, Perth City
Robbie Renwick, 27, Abu Dhabi, University of Stirling
Duncan Scott, 18, Glasgow, University of Stirling
Craig Benson, 21, Livingston, University of Stirling
Fran Halsall, 26, Southport, National Centre Loughborough
Molly Renshaw, 19, Mansfield, National Centre Loughborough
Chris Walker-Hebborn, 25 Enfield, National Centre Bath
Tim Shuttleworth, 18, Enfield, National Centre Loughborough
Aimee Willmott, 23, Middlesbrough, London Aquatics Centre PP
Eleanor Faulkner, 23, Sheffield, City of Sheffield
Georgia Coates, 17, Leeds, City of Leeds
Camilla Hattersley, 21, Edinburgh, City of Glasgow
Georgia Davies, 25, London, National Centre Loughborough
The athletes above gained selection after they achieved a time within 2% of the set benchmark time included within the BOA selection policy (individual and relay).
Cameron Kurle, 18, Glastonbury, Millfield
Ieuan Lloyd, 22, Penarth, City of Cardiff
Daniel Wallace, 22, Edinburgh, Warrender
The athletes above gained selection at the discretion of the British Head Coach and National Performance Director as per the BOA selection policy. The criteria for these decisions included (but not limited to) the need to rest key athletes that have large schedules; a proven track record as a relay swimmer at major international meets; individual performances at the British Championships 2016.
Mark England, Team GB’s Chef de Mission for Rio 2016, said:
“After some strong performances at the British Swimming Championships in Glasgow we are excited to welcome this talented group of swimmers onto Team GB for this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
“The athletes selected have shown that they are capable of producing performances at the highest level and among the ranks are World and European Champions as well as athletes capable of swimming world-record times.
“This group has fantastic potential and I am excited about watching them compete for Team GB in Brazil.”
Chris Spice, Swimming Team Leader for Rio 2016 said:
“What we have is a focused, well-balanced team with some very exciting young prospects. The team has been refreshed as a result of a series of great performances from some of our Podium Potential youngsters – Chloe Tutton, Cameron Kurle, Molly Renshaw, Craig Benson, Georgia Coates and Max Litchfield, who all produced stunning performances to upset their more senior rivals and make the Olympic team.
“But perhaps the swim of the Championships came from 18-year-old Tim Shuttleworth in the 1500m freestyle where he had the Glasgow crowd on its feet.
“The challenge for everyone is to move our performances on between now and the summer. Athletes have done a good job to make the team but our primary focus is to improve performances in Rio and we will leave no stone unturned in pursuit of this.”
Adam Peaty said:
“I’m thrilled to have been selected for Team GB. I first watched my teammate Craig Benson in the Olympics [London 2012] and I was really jealous.
“He was the same age and he was at a home Olympics, something I would never get a chance to do again. I was looking at the results on my phone. It was like a ‘what am I doing with my life’ kind of moment. From then, I watched all the Olympics and said to myself that I would make the next one. That was my defining moment, to stop messing about now and get my head down.
“I don’t want to be a team-maker (in Rio), that’s the most important definition for me. I want to make my country proud and give it the best shot I can really and wear that Team GB tracksuit with pride.”
Hannah Miley said:
“It’s quite hard to put into words what it feels like to be selected for my third Olympics. I still love my sport as much as I’ve always done and to reach my third Olympics just highlights the dedication that me and my family have put into the sport.
“It’s another fantastic opportunity to put myself out there against the very best in the world - in the biggest event in the world - and hopefully I can come out on top.
“I feel a lot more confident, centred and happy this time around. My previous experiences have been great in Beijing and London but I feel different heading into Rio and I’m confident that will help me to perform.
“I’m really looking forward to this Olympics. I’m more mature and more experienced, and I’ll approach this one differently to the previous two.”