British Para-Swimming has announced a 26-strong team for the World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico which takes place from 30 September – 6 October.
The team features eight Paralympic Champions including Ollie Hynd, Bethany Firth, Ellie Robinson and Matt Wylie alongside eight athletes making their senior international debuts at a major competition.
The swimmers competed at the British Summer Championships where 12 programme athletes set new personal best times and three world records were broken in the Ponds Forge pool.
Hynd, who broke the 400m Freestyle world record in Sheffield, will be aiming to continue his gold medal streak at World Championships having stood at the top of the podium at his last two outings.
“I can’t wait to get out to Mexico and get ready to compete at the top level again,” Hynd said. “This will be my third World Championships and I will be hoping to retain my title but the first year of the cycle always brings some unknowns so I am making sure I am as prepared for that as possible.
“A World Championships is an exciting competition and I love competing at this level. Breaking the world record in Sheffield has given me confidence and I’m really pleased to have hit that record again.”
Maisie Summers-Newton will be making her senior international debut and at just 15-years old she’ll be aiming to learn as much as she can while competing alongside the world’s best.
“I am so excited about qualifying for the World Championships,” Summers-Newton said. “I have worked really hard this year to improve my times enough to qualify and I can’t wait to get on the blocks in Mexico.
“This will be the first time I’ll represent Great Britain at this level so I don’t really know what to expect. I want to learn as much as I can from my team-mates and the amazing athletes that will be at the World Championships and use that as I continue to work hard on the path to Tokyo 2020.”
Head Coach Rob Aubry has been encouraged by the performances in Sheffield and knows the athletes will face tough competition in Mexico.
“The team we have selected is a strong team based on their impressive performances at the British Summer Championships,” Aubry said.
“In Sheffield we saw athletes break records and show that they were at their best at the right time. What impressed me the most in Sheffield is that they took on board the importance of the meet and showed the best possible race plan at the right time.
“Sheffield has shown us that we have a strong developing group of athletes challenging for top positions within the program. Considering that this is the first year of a cycle, I am pleased that we have seen that it is possible to continue world class performances in year one of the cycle. Athletes are focusing on the process goals and executing the race plan.
“I’m pleased with the continued progress and the support we are able to put around our athletes. We are continuing to strive to be the best both in and out the water.
“In Mexico we will have a tough challenge and we know there will be some new athletes that our athletes will face. It will be testing environment and athletes will be expected to race consistently while continuing training at a key point in the season.”
The 26 strong British Team consists of:
Jordan Catchpole – UEA Norwich
Stephen Clegg – University of Stirling
Jonathan Fox – National Performance Centre/COMAST
Thomas Hamer – National Performance Centre/COMAST
Oliver Hynd – Nova Centurion
Michael Jones – National Performance Centre
Conner Morrison – University of Aberdeen
Andrew Mullen – City of Glasgow
Scott Quin – Warrender
Lewis White – City of Derby
Matthew Wylie – City of Sunderland
Jessica-Jane Applegate – UEA Norwich
Louise Fiddes – Hatfield
Bethany Firth – National Performance Centre
Stephanie Millward – Corsham
Rebecca Redfern – Worcester City
Megan Richter – Orion
Eleanor Robinson – Northampton
Hannah Russell – COMAST/Woking
Maisie Summers-Newton – Northampton
Alice Tai – National Performance Centre
The athletes above gained selection after they achieved the qualification standard at the British Summer Championships 2017 as per the A Standard Qualifying time of the selection policy.
Danielle Hartin – Basildon Phoenix
Jacob Leach – Cockermouth
Toni Shaw – Cults Otter
The athletes above gained selection after they achieved the qualification standard at the British Summer Championships 2017 as per the B Standard Qualifying time of the selection policy.
Jack Thomas – Llandudno
The athlete above gained selection after they achieved the qualification standard at the British Summer Championships 2017 for the S14 relay.
Zara Mullooly – City of Guildford
The athlete above gained selection at the discretion of the National Performance Director as per the selection policy.
About British Swimming
British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Para-Swimming, Diving, High Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (ASA), Scotland (Scottish ASA) and Wales (Welsh ASA). British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
About UK Sport
Every athlete who has received National Lottery funding will have a story to tell of the difference that it has made to their Olympic or Paralympic dream. But the simple truth is that the National Lottery has taken sport in the UK to a new level. Each successive Games proves that there is no longer any margin for error if you want the top prize. Medals are won and lost by the smallest possible margins – the power of UK Sport’s National Lottery investment is in its ability to seek out those tenths, hundredths or even thousandths of a second, wherever they exist, and make sure that if there’s a close call, British athletes emerge on the winning side.
About TYR
Named for TYR, the Norse god of warriors, our company is committed to cultivating a culture of greatness, both in and out of the water. Through vision and American ingenuity, we have become a brand synonymous with the athlete.
From the planning stages to the production floor, everything we do revolves around synthesizing creativity, experience and competition. For us, engineering the most advanced performance products is more than just a goal, it’s a requirement.
Press Release courtesy of British Swimming.
So it looks like I was right after all which makes all you nameless people who hide behind fake names a bit stupid now.
On to next interview with sky sports funny that no smoke without fire I think the parliamentary subcommittee chairmen said
One very happy man to see the evidence stacking up
And all that sponsors money that might have to be paid back ?
Brilliantly stated Mark, the Veteran community will help weed out these frauds and cheats.
radio 4 interview aired nice 46 min program with loads of evidence and all was confirmed by classifiers who admitted cheating is going on, so will those who dislike my posts have the balls to put their names up so i can say ” i told you so” also look out for further stories in media as the one from the DWP could be very interesting.
those who support cheating in any sport are as guilty as those who commit the cheating and your time is running out
Well well well seems that the reporter who broke the lance Armstrong story has been digging into GB Para swimming and found out some facts and that I am telling the truth!!!!
So this and his write up in the Sunday Times is just the start, do you all really think the reporter who brought the greatest cyclist ever to ruin could do the same to team GB let’s wait and see
Time is running out for the cheats
so after speaking to a very high member of house of lords about these cheats the DWP are looking into the matter as they suspect fraud could be an issue.
Great team selection but some how tainted by swimmers wrongly classified just to win medals, How can a swimmer be classified from S9 to S8 and then develop a limp that has not been seen in the past 6 years or a swimmer that only uses a wheelchair poolside but can walk with no help to the toilets across a busy dinning room.
If cheating is what it takes to win medals then the values and integrity para sport was founded on have long been discarded which is a smack in the face to those who set up the para movement many years ago, and as a former servicemen those values are sacred.
Shame on team GB and the… Read more »
truth hurts i see pity you support cheats
Well stated Mark, you proudly wore the uniform to help protect British Freedom, culture, values and the British way of life, only to see it diminished by cheats and frauds!!!
Brilliantly stated Mark, thank you for your brave and courageous service and total RESPECT to you and your fellow soldiers.