British Swimming has officially confirmed that 2008 Olympic silver medalist Keri-Anne Payne will be a member of the British Olympic team in Rio. Payne qualified for the games at the 10 km Open Water Olympic qualifying event in Setubal, Portugal last weekend by finishing second to Xin Xin of China who was able grab the gold in a tight race with the Brit.
With the top ten from the event earning their spots in the competition at the games there was not any doubt that this would British Swimming’s decision unlike New Zealand Swimming’s position when it comes to Kane Radford who also qualified for the games in Portugal.
Payne has been one of the top competitors in the event since she won Olympic gold in 2008. She took gold at the 2009 and 2011 World Championships, but finished a disappointing fourth at the 2012 Olympics in her home country. Her placings at the last two World Championships have also been less than impressive finishing 14th in 2013 and 15th last summer in Kazan.
Jack Burnell will also represent Britain at the in Rio. Burnell qualified for his first Olympic by finishing fifth in the event at the World Championships.
Great work! Wishing her the best in Rio! Always friendly and classy- she is a great ambassador for the open-water swimming community.
Open water, right? The “what” of journalism.
What event are we talking about? The article doesn’t mention it.
Good luck Keri-Anne. You have a great chance.