Peaty headlines Team England swimming squad for Commonwealth Games
BySportsbeat
Published 05/10/2017 at 10:27 GMT
Olympic champion Adam Peaty will spearhead Team England's medal charge in the pool at the 2018 Commonwealth Games after the first swimmers to make the squad were announced.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
It will be the second Commonwealth Games for the Uttoxeter swimmer, who will head to the Gold Coast aiming to retain the 100m breaststroke and 4x100m medley titles he won in Glasgow three years ago.
Peaty also won 50m breaststroke silver in Glasgow and is one of 15 swimmers to have been selected after the first phase of qualification.
The team also includes Commonwealth medallists James Guy, Andrew Willis, Molly Renshaw, Ben Proud and Lizzie Simmonds, who will compete in her first major international since the 2015 Kazan World Championships.
They will be joined by Olympic silver medallist Siobhan-Marie O'Connor, who recorded a haul of six medals at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, including gold in the 200m individual medley.
Six athletes are set to make their Commonwealth Games debut, including 16 year olds Freya Anderson and Emily Large, who both won gold medals at this year's World Junior Championships.
They will be joined by Sarah Vasey, Holly Hibbott, Jocelyn Ulyett and Luke Greenbank, who will all make their Commonwealth bows for England next year.
Swimming team leader Grant Robins hailed the balance between experience and youth in the squad, claiming it has the potential to bring success.
"This is an exciting team that has been selected for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. We have a wealth of experience from athletes who know what it takes to win," he said.
"We also have a number of new athletes that will be taking the step up and experiencing a multi-sport event for the first time.
"I know the team will work hard in their home programmes to be the best they can be when they step on the plane to the Gold Coast."
Sportsbeat 2017
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement