Swim England has announced additions to its swimming and Para swimming rosters for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Set for Birmingham beginning on Thursday, July 28th, the Commonwealth Games will see the likes of veterans Adam Barrett, Imogen Clark, and James Guy added to the mix of previously pre-selected entrants looking to make their marks this summer.
As a refresher, per Swim England’s selection policy, the organization could have nominated 34 swimmers to compete in Birmingham. This first batch of swimmers was named based on performances at the 2020 Olympic Games last summer in Tokyo. This April’s British Swimming Championships represented the second selection opportunity for additional athletes.
Initially nominated swimmers included the following:
- Tom Dean
- Adam Peaty
- Luke Greenbank
- Ben Proud
- Molly Renshaw
- Max Litchfield
- Anna Hopkin
- Abbie Wood
- James Wilby
- Alicia Wilson
Newly-named swimmers to England’s roster:
- Freya Anderson (Bath NC), Wirral
- Adam Barrett (Wycombe Swimming Club), Reading
- Lewis Burras (Winchester Swimming Club), Winchester
- Greg Butler (Loughborough NC), Staffordshire
- Imogen Clark (Deventio Swimming Club), Derby
- Freya Colbert (NOVA Centurion), Grantham
- Lauren Cox (Loughborough Uni), Leamington Spa
- James Guy (Bath NC), Bath
- Holly Hibbott (Bath NC), Southport
- Isabella Hindley (Brompton), London
- Jamie Ingram (City of Manchester), Manchester
- Cameron Kurle (Stirling University), Glastonbury
- James McFadzen (Loughborough University), Loughborough
- Edward Mildred (Bath NC), Northampton
- Jay Lelliott (City of Sheffield Swimming Club), Sheffield
- Joe Litchfield (Loughborough NC), Wakefield
- Jacob Peters (Bath NC), Bath
- Laura Stephens (Loughborough NC), Wix
- Luke Turley (Bath NC), Bedfordshire
- Tamryn van Selm (Millfield School), Orpington
- Sarah Vasey (Loughborough NC), Derby
- Jacob Whittle (Loughborough NC), Alfreton
- Mason Wilby, Kentucky
- Brodie Williams (Bath NC), Somerset
Para swimmers:
- Alice Tai, New Milton
- Grace Harvey, Manchester
- Hannah Russell, Ottershaw
- James Hollis, Manchester
- Jessica-Jane Applegate, Great Yarmouth
- Jordan Catchpole, Beccles
- Louise Fiddes, Welwyn Garden City
- Maisie Summers-Newton, Northamptonshire
- Michael Jones, Manchester
- Poppy Maskill, Middlewich
- Rebecca Redfern, Worcester
- Reece Dunn, Plymouth
- Thomas Hamer, Rossendale
- William Perry, Banbury
Among the newly-announced additions for Birmingham is 21-year-old Lewis Burras, the former University of South Carolina swimmer who proved to be a significant disruptor at this year’s British Championships.
There in Sheffield, Burras ripped lifetime bests of 21.77 and 47.88 in the 50m and 100m free, respectively, to add his name to the Birmingham roster before moving to West Australia to join coach Zoe Baker.
17-year-old Jacob Whittle is another Commonwealth Games young gun, ready to follow up on his 2020 Olympic Games appearance where he was a member of the British men’s 4x100m free relay. Whittle was also recently named to the European Junior Championships lineup for Great Britain.
Also looking to put England on the board in Birmingham will be Freya Colbert, the 18-year-old who scorched a new 200m free lifetime best of 1:57.90 at the British Championships.
England finished 2nd in the overall swimming medal table at the 2018 edition of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. The nation amassed a total of 24 medals, including 9 golds.
The able-bodied gold medalists from 4 years ago included Ben Proud in the 50m free, Adam Peaty in the 100m breast, James Wilby in the 200m breast, Sarah Vasey in the women’s 50m breast, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor in the 200m IM, and Aimee Willmott in the 400m IM.
We reported earlier how Peaty has dropped out of this year’s World Championships due to a foot injury but the multi-Olympic gold medalist confirms he plans on racing at the Commonwealth Games as a primary focus for 2022.
Medal Table from 2018 Commonwealth Games
Is that medal table for swimming or total? And if swimming, able bodied or able and para? Surely swimming only but not clearly stated
It’s swimming only and includes para.
I am so in love with Ben Proud… daddy…
Greg Butler?? he didn’t get that close to any of the times and he came 3rd in the 200 Breast, so why have they not picked the lad that came 2nd? This smells somewhat also pretty sure he got DQ on the 200 then got mysteriously re-instated??? Apparently the judge put the wrong lane down, didn’t think British Swimming would have officials that incompetent! Also they have not taken any back ups for the ladies 200 free relay, only got 4?
I think there are 5 swimmers, Freya A, Freya C, Abbie W, Tamryn VS and Holly Hibbott will be back up. Interesting how some 2nd and 3rd place swimmers have been included, whereas others have not.
Holly finished 5th in the B final at champs . Helps when your at a NC ?? I suppose .
Yes but Holly came 5th in the B final a little unfair on the others in the A and B final if they use her but I suppose they will because she is in a National Centre bit like Greg Butler!!
Butler swam a big PB of 60.0 in the 100 breast at trials, because of how relatively slow the commonwealth are in the 100 breast (excluding Peaty and Wilby), he could legitimately challenge for a medal if he knocks off another few tenths whereas chillingworth will be a at least 2 seconds off the medals in the 200 breast.
Holly was second in the 200fly ( England only) and can swim heats in 4×2, 4×1 medley…there’s no other fly swimmer apart from Stephens on the team.
Butler can be used in the medley relays heats if Peaty is injured.
Holly doesn’t swim 100fly, she didn’t enter it at British Champs! mainly a middle distance/long distance swimmer. Just seems they have picked swimmers from NCs over others as usual regardless of where they came in the event
As is usually the case. Shame they have such a major focus on relays, which means 5th fastest gets to go in some cases and others who could do well in individual events get left out.
Backup for W4x2 is a largely redundant thought – only once in the last 6 games has there been more than 8 teams and even then there were only 9 (and one was DQed) so it is very likely to be a straight final and if it isn’t, the heats will not be very taxing.
You’re incorrect on a couple things there
1. Butler got incredibly close to the times: 0.08 off the 50 time (0.29%) and 0.32 off the 100 time (0.54%)
2. His 200 pb is .65 faster than chillingworths’s, who was 1.5% off the time anyway and butler very closely 1.6% behind. It’s surely wiser to choose a swimmer who is stronger across all 3 events