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.”
- Ollie Hynd - Paralympic Champion
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.”
- Maisie Summers-Newton
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. "
- Rob Aubry - British Para-Swimming Head Coach
“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.