With the conclusion of the 2026 Aquatics GB Championships came the announcement of a 36-strong British roster for this year’s European Championships.
A host of elite talent, including Olympic and World Championships medalists, is set to represent the nation, marked by the return of Adam Peaty, who missed last year’s championship season but has proven he is coming back to form.
The newly-married man will be joined by Olympic teammates James Guy, Duncan Scott, Matt Richards and Jack McMillan.
Of note, the 2020 Olympic champion in the men’s 200m freestyle, Tom Dean, missed the Aquatics GB Championships to tend to an injury but the 25-year-old has been given a discretionary nod. The caveat is that he, along with Alex Cohoon and Katie Shanahan, must pass a fitness test to solidify their selection.
Big guns Angharad Evans, Freya Colbert and Abbie Wood also highlight the women’s lineup, with the former firing off a new British record en route to claiming the 20om breaststroke national title.
The younger end of the spectrum features the likes of World Junior champion Filip Nowacki, versatile age group record holder Theodora Taylor and European Junior Championships multi-gold medalist Amalie Smith.
Per the Aquatics GB selection criteria, swimmers were nominated for the European Championships roster in multiple categories based on times and places produced at the Aquatics GB Championships.
On the lineup, Head Coach Steven Tigg stated, “We were delighted with the overall standard of the Aquatics GB Championships in London. Clubs and coaches across the board had prepared their athletes to a very high level.
“Competition for places was fierce, with the increased depth from our younger athletes asking questions of our more established cohort who rose to the challenge. This can only sharpen our competitive skills and develop our racing nerve as we build towards an exciting summer. Firstly, at the Commonwealth Games where a wide range of athletes from our Home Nation partners will compete in front of a Glasgow crowd, before culminating in Paris, where the focus will turn to British representation and more specific individual programmes and our Olympic relay teams against tough European competition.
“It is a tremendous opportunity for increased race exposure to test the team’s physical robustness and mental resilience as we continue our journey towards Los Angeles in line with our preparation strategies.”
Ollie Morgan, who swept the men’s backstroke events for a 3rd consecutive time, said, “It’s a massive honour to be selected to represent Great Britain at my first European Championships.
“After another successful Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, I’m excited to step up in the summer and race the best in Europe, and give everything for some medal opportunities.”
Commenting on her first GB senior team Theodora Taylor commented, “I’m really excited to be able to represent Great Britain at the European Championships this summer in Paris.
“As my first senior GB selection, I’m looking forward to competing against the best athletes in Europe and swim as part of a relay team.
“I hope to learn from the more experienced swimmers on the team as a junior myself and gain more international experience.”
The Aquatics GB swimming team for the 2026 European Championships in Paris:
* Titles of Aquatics GB Performance Centres are shortened to ‘Performance Centre’ in this list
- Freya Colbert, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Lauren Cox, Manchester Performance Centre
- Angharad Evans, University of Stirling
- Joshua Gammon, Bath Performance Centre
- James Guy, Manchester Performance Centre
- Max Litchfield, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Keanna MacInnes, University of Stirling
- Edward Mildred, Manchester Performance Centre
- Oliver Morgan, University of Birmingham
- Filip Nowacki, Millfield
- Eva Okaro, Repton
- Adam Ramsay-Peaty, Repton
- Matt Richards, Manchester Performance Centre
- Duncan Scott, University of Stirling
- Amalie Smith, Royal Tunbridge Wells Monson
- Abbie Wood, Manchester Performance Centre
The above athletes are selected after winning an individual event at the 2026 AGB Swimming Championships that equals or betters the required standard as per clause 5.2 of the relevant selection policy
- Greg Butler, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Luke Greenbank, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Jacob Peters, Bath Performance Centre
- Emily Richards, Manchester Performance Centre
- Jack Skerry, Bath Performance Centre
- Theodora Taylor, Torfaen Dolphins
The above athletes are selected after finishing second in an individual event at the 2026 AGB Swimming Championships that equals or betters the required standard as per clause 5.3 of the relevant selection policy
- Freya Anderson, University of Stirling
- Evelyn Davis, University of Stirling
- Jack McMillan, University of Stirling
- Jacob Mills, Repton
- Leah Schlosshan, Manchester Performance Centre
- Gabriel Shepherd, City of Leeds
- Jacob Whittle, Repton
The above athletes are selected as part of relay combinations that equalled or bettered the required qualifying times, as per clause 5.5 of the selection policy.
- Alex Cohoon, Loughborough Performance Centre*
- Rio Daodu, Mt Kelly
- Tom Dean, University of Stirling*
- Evan Jones, Manchester Performance Centre
- Tyler Melbourne-Smith, Loughborough University
- Katie Shanahan, University of Stirling*
- Matthew Ward, Bath Performance Centre
The above athletes are selected at the discretion of the Performance Director and GB Head Coach. These selections are based on performances at the 2026 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships; providing relay alternates for athletes with busy schedules; prioritising European medal opportunities; and athletes that are on a trajectory to podium success at the LA 2028 Olympic Games, as per clause 5.7 of the selection policy.
*athletes’ selected subject to completing fitness tests
The following coaches have been selected to support the team, under the guidance of Aquatics GB swimming Head Coach Steven Tigg:
- Lisa Bates, Chelsea & Westminster Swimming Club
- Laurel Bailey, Warrender Baths
- Scott Goadby, Loughborough Performance Centre
- David Hemmings, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Ben Higson, University of Stirling
- Ryan Livingstone, Manchester Performance Centre
- David McNulty, Bath Performance Centre
Like most people I find medical exemptions irksome, but Aquatics GB rely on a funding model that is massively weighted to Olympic year performance and their policies reflect that. They got an uplift for this cycle despite a sharp decline in medals between Tokyo & Paris, and that goodwill won’t be there if we slip further down the Aquatics medal table.
They have been open about pinpointing relays as a soft-underbelly to the sport, a number of boys who coukd fit into that puzzle had big breakthroughs at trials and, with a handful of ageing stars in said events, I can understand why Aquatics GB want to go mob-handed with developing male freestylers.
Again, I wouldn’t have made that… Read more »
I think exceptions are sometimes justified, but in this case, they just seem a bit unnecessary given we are stocked in the events Cohoon and Dean cover. I’m a bit surprised to see Rio Daodu in there tbh. What was he 7th in the 100 free? Add in Cohoon, Dean and Dunc, that’s 10 options. All in favor of giving young swimmers some experience but seems a bit of over kill.
Tom Dean let in anyway I called it to the surprise of nobody thanks Aquatics GB!
It was always going to happen.
Some say he is already on the plane to LA.
what happened to jonny marshall, i saw hes gonna be at FTL
Chasing softer Olympic qualification via his US roots?
Pretty disappointed in the discretionary picks. We had ample depth covering our 400/800 free men’s relays without needing to add Dean, Cohoon or even Melbourne-Smith and Daodu.
Could have used it as a chance to develop areas of weakness in the team like our distance freestyle or women’s sprint fly or we could have given some youngsters like Max Morgan or Blythe Kinsman a shot but nope we’re bolstering relays that we already had a good 7 options for.
Never been a fan of our selection policies but this is the first team I’ve strongly disagreed with the discretionary picks and hoping the swimmers who missed out get to Commonwealths and the swimmers chosen justify their spots.
Please explain how that would help develop an area of weakness in the team?
My thinking is that taking someone like Blocksidge or Grady gives a chance for an inexperienced athlete internationally to push on a bit and hopefully seeing them on a bigger stage encourages other swimmers to push on and improve too and increase competition in those events.
The men could theoretically rest four in the heats of the 4×200, so there’s no real downside to adding Melbourne-Smith and Jones in my view. That relay is a must-win medal in LA, so building depth and giving others exposure now is essential.
There’s also a realistic chance of post CG withdrawals to the team for any number of reasons, so ensuring cover for the relays is ok by me.
I’m not convinced Blocksidge has done enough to warrant selection or shown a clear LA trajectory to your distance point and women’s sprint fly has Okaro and MacInnes there. Kinsman was poor and I wouldn’t want her inexperience leading off a team as strong as the 4x100Med women in the… Read more »
You have been quick to dismiss others but not to give justification. What is your justification to have Daodu, Dean, Cohoon, TMS and Jones each as only free relay choices but not Erin Little who was 5th in the 200 where that relay will also be the favourite at euros and a possible world medal threat with a 1:54 and 3 potential 1:56s in development. Or why Matt Ward when there is 3 backstrokes already but not women like Clark, Blocksidge, Schlosshan or Osrin who are all ranked highly in Europe at trials and or young and upcoming.
You seem to think these comments are negative about the selection. They are not. The team is great and it could be… Read more »
I think the policy has a clause around LA medal potential, so assume that has been considered for those you mentioned being selected on merit.
Any use of ‘potential for medals in LA’ two years and three months out from the meet is extremely subjective, and widely open to unconscious bias, favouritism, partisanship, as well as possible discrimination and maybe even corruption in some cases.
While I understand the points about bias and the dangers of favouritism, bias etc., I think that Swimming might have the MOST results-driven selection policy among British Olympic sports. Athletics has a bit of a hybrid system with trials and selection times/marks, but always with discretion on the third place in the event of injuries. Track cycling, which is by far our most successful sport in recent times, dispenses with any notion of trials or championships. The coaches select who they think gives them the best chance to win and that is that. The problem with a strict “trials-only” approach is that you can end up with a team that is weaker than it could be. GB is not the… Read more »
Yeah I can definitely see your point about developing talent for our relays and having lots of options is no bad thing.
However, we have 10 options for our 4×1 and 9 for our 4×2 which for me feels like covering our bases a bit too much when we’re leaving other events empty or with 1 person.
Still, I can also see your point that those not selected don’t necessarily have a pathway to get to LA and shouldn’t be selected, I guess I just wish everyone with solid trials performances got a chance.
we’re going to see a 57 from Peaty and a 2:06 from Nowacki at Euros, mark my words
A great team with great chances no doubt.
Significantly more men than women picked. Erin Little came 5th in the 200 Free yet wasn’t selected yet the top 7 in the Men’s 100+200 free were all selected with Cohoon and Dean additionally. This seems odd. This is a lot of men’s freestylers.
Dean and Cohoon are great swimmers no doubt. But their selection is in itself also odd. 7 swimmers swam 1:46 and below at trials in the 200, Litchfield is also on the team. Why is Dean the necessary over swimmers like Ciara Schlosshan, Anna Morgan, Darcy Revitt, Honey Osrin, Imogen Clark being discretionarily chosen to represent their events after strong trials performances in European Ranks.
8 men went… Read more »
Basically the only metric Aquatics GB really value is medals at major competitions so presumably they think there’s more chance of a medal in the 4×1 free than from any of the individual swimmers you mentioned, which I’m inclined to agree
I’m pretty sure some of them are currently ranked top 5 in Europes rankings namely Schlosshan, Clark and Osrin. A relay of Dadou, Cohoon, Guy and McMillan (4th-7th) is not as likely to medal to me. It’s also a case of choosing significantly more men for these relays than women in the same relays with higher AGB champs placements when the Women are also the 2022 European champions in these relays. (A full team was not sent to 2024)
I guess they have C. Schlosson role covered with Richards/Okaro for the medley, Evans can be subbed potentially with Taylor and Cox with Shanahan.
Neither c. Schlosson nor Osrin performed particularly well, with Schlosson faster in February on her main events.
I do wonder how much performing at the meet is taken into consideration? Though neither Cahoon nor Dean performed at all most of the others swam best times and on upward trajectory.
I don’t disagree with you Jess. But the selectors don’t really care about medals at these Euros, they care about potential in LA, and the men’s freestyle relays likely have a better shot than the women’s ones. So getting experience for athletes that might contribute to a medaling relay in LA is the priority.
but I’d argue that doesn’t justify Dean or Cohoon’s selection to the squad as their performances since Paris show no indication that they’re going to improve our medal chances in either relay.
Maybe they won’t even make it to the start line!
Can only assume there’s some level of alignment with Team England selectors, where neither Dean nor Cahoon have made their team so have been ‘saved’ by AGB. I’d say the others you’ve mentioned have at least one summer International?
Big question is whether they pass their fitness tests!
You think people get selected for being associated with AP race brand? You are so clueless. Some people baffle me
Again, I’m a fan of Cohoon I really am, but he missed the last worlds team all together despite that amazing 48.2 in the heats and he’s currently ranked 14th in the 50 free and 23rd in the 100 domestically this year.
He’s also only won international Euro SC relay gold a few years back now. No world or Olympic medals or even finals that would warrant the same Dean selection
I think he can be the future of British Freestyle and will be at LA but in his interviews on commentary at champs and posts even he seemed to suggest his opportunities will now be next season.
Not only that, but Painter had the disadvantage of fully tapering a month prior and was only 4 tenths off his best 100 and was right on his best 50. With more time, he could easily be back to 48.4 or faster.
Aquatics GB just pick their Favourites over prioritising energing talent.
The strongest British squad since the 2016-2021 golden years. Great mix of old hands and new blood – The question is how well will they handle the very quick Commonwealths turnaround.
Cohoon and Dean both being given discretionary picks despite missing Champs is a surprise.
Agreed on the strong roster comment.
I dare the international governing boards to hold just 1 meet where whoever meets the same qualifying time gets to participate. If they truly want the most accurate and honest outcome, they will. But if it’s all about money and “magic” numbers…