A six-strong British contingent set for the World Championships in Hungary have put the final touches to their marathon swimming preparations and are now ready for action.
Olympian Jack Burnell will take part in the 10km alongside Caleb Hughes while Toby Robinson and Tim Shuttleworth will compete in the 5km race.
Danielle Huskisson will be returning to World Championship action having contested the 10km in Kazan two years ago. She’ll line up in the 10km and the 5km and will be joined by 2016 World Junior Champion, Alice Dearing in the longer event.
Burnell is feeling in good shape ahead of his biggest challenge of 2017.
“My build up to Worlds has gone well,” Burnell said. “Considering the number of races we have done this season, everything has gone to plan and slotted in really nicely. I think I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.
“In my training I’ve managed to get best times which means the quality of what I’m doing in the water is really good. I am going into the Worlds feeling strong so we’ll see what happens.
“I’ve competed at Lake Balaton before for a World Cup that event I won. When we were there it was quite flat but in marathon anything can happen and change but I think we’ve prepared well so I’m looking forward to it. Lake Balaton is a great venue. I can’t wait to go back.”
- Jack Burnell - Marathon Swimmer
For Huskisson her third World Championships is one she feels ready to tackle head on.
“I am really looking forward to the World Championships,” Huskisson said. “This is my third Worlds and I am the most prepared I've ever been.“We have been doing a lot of hard, back to back racing in the last few months, which has been great for gaining experience as well as race toughness. This will be a great start to this Olympic cycle."
- Danielle Huskisson - Marathon Swimmer
“The race venue is quite familiar as we raced in Lake Balaton back in 2014 as part of the World Cup series. It produced one of my best performances so I am looking forward to heading back.”
Marathon Swimming Lead Bernie Dietzig is looking forward to the action kicking off and seeing what his athletes bring to the table.
“The World Championships is always incredibly competitive,” Dietzig said. “We will be expecting a huge field in both the men’s and women’s 10km and we have done everything we can this season to be ready for this.“We have competed in more races this season and I believe that has been a vital part in the preparations for the World Championships. We have a team that have a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can achieve in Budapest.”
- Bernie Dietzig - Marathon Swimming Lead
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The FINA World Championship marathon events take place 15-21 July 2017. For further details Click Here
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The British Marathon Swimming Team comprises:
Jack Burnell – National Centre, Loughborough
Caleb Hughes – National Centre, Loughborough
Toby Robinson – National Centre, Loughborough
Tim Shuttleworth – National Centre, Loughborough
Alice Dearing – National Centre, Loughborough
Danielle Huskisson – University of Stirling