British Set for Start of World Cup Circuit in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, January 16. A squad of 15 swimmers will fly the British flag at the European rounds of FINA's World Cup series that begins tomorrow in Stockholm and concludes this weekend in Berlin. The majority of the squad will use the two-day meets to continue preparations for the Commonwealth Games in Australia in March while others will gain valuable experience of international competition for the first time.

For the likes of Breaststroke specialist Chris Cook, the World Cup legs will allow him to work on racing skills while continuing his training workload in time for the Melbourne Games which begin on March 15.

"I'm sure they're going to be fast meets,” Cook said. “I think the kind of form shown at the European Championships last month will continue and the racing will be fierce in both Stockholm and Berlin. That's what I'm looking for – tough, high-caliber, fast international racing. When the rest of the field is all guns blazing and you're still in heavy training, it's an amazing challenge and you draw a lot of confidence from competing with those guys.”

Over recent years, the European legs of the World Cup have been used to fuel new British Swimming talent and this year is no exception with seven of the 15 members relative newcomers to the international scene. Head Coach Bill Pilczuk will lead the squad team, which goes head-to-head with some of the world's biggest names in Stockholm on January 17-18 and continues in Berlin on January 21-22.

"The younger members of the squad will use these World Cups to gain valuable racing experience," said Pilczuk. "There will be no rest for the athletes as we'll expect them to get up to race against the big hitters there while in full training. They'll be able to see first hand what an international meet is all about and how the biggest names in the sport deal with the occasion.”

The British squad includes:

Kirsty Balfour (City of Edinburgh)
James Clarke (Millfield)
Matt Clay (University of Bath)
Chris Cook (City of Newcastle)
Jonathan Cook (Nova Centurion)
James Gibson (Loughborough University)
Kris Gilchrist (City of Edinburgh)
Kate Haywood (Loughborough University)
James Johnson (City of Newcastle)
Mel Marshall (Loughborough University)
Dean Milwain (City of Derby)
Max Partridge (City of Sheffield)
Jonathan Quinn (Hatfield)
Liam Tancock (Loughborough University)
Liam Turner (City of Cardiff)

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x