Twenty-Eight Swimmers Named On Team GB For Tokyo Olympics

Adam Peaty: Photo Courtesy: David E. Klutho-USA TODAY Sports

Editorial content for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games coverage is sponsored by GMX7.
See full event coverage. Follow GMX7 on Instagram at @GMX7training #gmx7

Team GB has announced a squad of 28 swimmers as they seek to emulate their six-strong medal haul from Rio 2016 at the Olympics in Tokyo in July.

Adam Peaty, Duncan Scott, Luke Greenbank and James Wilby had all been pre-selected to Team GB after winning individual medals at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju.

A further 24 were added following the recent trials in London meaning that 70 athletes across all sports have been selected to Team GB.

At 30 Commonwealth 200 fly champion Alys Thomas is the oldest with 16-year-old Jacob Whittle the youngest member of the team.

Adam Peaty – Uttoxeter, Loughborough National Centre (pre-selected in January 2021)
Abbie Wood – Buxton, Loughborough National Centre
Aimee Willmott – Middlesborough, University of Stirling
Alicia Wilson – Tadworth, Guilford City
Alys Thomas – Swansea, Swansea University
Anna Hopkin – Chorley, Loughborough National Centre
Ben Proud – London, Bath University
Brodie Williams – Street, Bath National Centre
Calum Jarvis – Wadebridge, Bath National Centre
Cassie Wild – Chester, University of Stirling
Dan Jervis – Neath, Swansea University
Duncan Scott – Glasgow, University of Stirling (pre-selected in January 2021)
Freya Anderson – Upton (The Wirral), Bath National Centre
Harriet Jones – Cardiff, City of Cardiff
Jacob Peters – Poole, Bath National Centre
Jacob Whittle – Alfreton, Derventio Excel
James Guy – Bury, Bath National Centre
James Wilby – York, Loughborough National Centre (pre-selected in January 2021)
Joe Litchfield – Pontefract, Loughborough National Centre
Kathleen Dawson, Warrington, University of Stirling
Kieran Bird – Bicester, Bath National Centre
Luke Greenbank – Cockermouth, Loughborough National Centre (pre-selected in January 2021)
Matthew Richards – Droitwich, Bath National Centre
Max Litchfield – Pontefract, Loughborough National Centre
Molly Renshaw – Mansfield, Loughborough National Centre
Ross Murdoch – Balloch, University of Stirling
Sarah Vasey – Derby, Loughborough National Centre
Tom Dean – Maidenhead, Bath National Centre

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Chef de mission Mark England believes this is the strongest swimming team ever to represent Great Britain at an Olympic Games.

He said:

“The strength in depth the swim team has now and the performance outcomes from recent results and everything the team has done has just been nothing short of fantastic.

“Great credit to not just the performance director Chris Spice, the coaching team but also right from the top Jack Buckner is an ex-Olympian himself driving this programme forward.”

“We have got some really strong momentum in terms of selection of the team but also from recent results we’ve got some great performance momentum now across a whole raft of sports.”

He added:

“It’s more than the trials. The team has a blend of Olympic medallists from Rio and an Olympic champion.

“Members of the team have some of the fastest times of 2021.”

National performance director Chris Spice drew great confidence from the recent trials in London while emphasising the youthful nature of the team.

Chris Spice: Photo Courtesy: British Swimming

He said:

“It sets the scene for Tokyo nicely in a few months time but in the swimming world the rest of the world is swimming fast too.

“So while our performances compared to a couple of years ago look very good, we know looking at other nations and their trials, they’re swimming quick as well.

“So we have got a massive challenge ahead of us to swim well in Tokyo but we’ve also got some exciting young talent.

“Seventy per cent of our team will be new and first-time Olympians and depending on whether we top up or not in the last couple of meets, that could even be higher.

“This is a very young team and of course we’ve got both eyes on Tokyo, but when you extrapolate ahead to Paris, it’s looking even more exciting.”

Six Of The Best In Rio

Jazz Carlin – Photo Courtesy: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Team GB won six medals in the pool at Rio 2016 with Adam Peaty getting gold in the 100br plus silvers in the 400 and 800 free for Jazz Carlin and 200IM for Siobhan O’Connor.

The men’s 4×100 medley and 4×200 free relays also had silver medals placed around their necks.

There were also fourth places for James Guy in the 200 free – behind Sun Yang and Conor Dwyer, both towing a doping positive – Ben Proud (50fr), Max Litchfield (400IM) and Andrew Willis (200br).

Fran Halsall (50fr), Hannah Miley (400IM) and Chloe Tutton (200br) were all locked out of the podium by one place.

None of the trio will be in Japan with Halsall and Tutton – who finished behind Aliaksandra Herasimenia and Yulia Efimova in their respective events in Rio – having retired and Miley failing to qualify after shoulder surgery.

Carlin retired in February 2019 with a void emerging in British women’s distance swimming while O’Connor will not be in Tokyo after ulcerative colitis disrupted her training and left her unable to compete at the British trials.

Scott And Renshaw Shine Among Fine Performances At Recent Trials

18th April 2021, London Aquatics Centre, London, England ; 2021 British Swimming Selection Trials

Duncan Scott: Photo Courtesy: Georgie Kerr, British Swimming

There were some performances at the London Aquatics Centre that hints at some exciting times to come in Tokyo.

Scott set British records of 1:55.90 in the 200IM and 1:44.47 in the 200 free with Tom Dean bypassing 1:45 to go 1:44.58.

Adam Peaty twice went 57 over 100br in one day – with no other man having ever yet gone inside 58.

Molly Renshaw set a new national mark of 2:20.89 in the 200br and Kathleen Dawson set a European 100 backstroke textile record and third all-suits of 58.24.

Spice paid tribute to the hard work of those who enabled the swimmers to remain training with the performances in London the resulting outcome, saying:

“We are dead pleased that we were able to get and keep the athletes in the water and training after the lockdown.

“We had that 10-week period of the water; it was a massive effort by all our partners in the home nations to get pools open for the elite squad and enable them to keep training was phenomenal and that has enabled us to really press our pedal to the floor in London and come up with some great performances.”

Advertising: Shop At Swim360

Name*

Email*

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