Britain are sending a 40-strong squad to next month's World Championships in Shanghai. According to Performance Director Michael Scott, this is 'one of the most competitive British teams ever assembled'.
It is great to see a big squad going to Shanghai as well as a nice mix between youth and experience. It won't be impossible for those not selected to come straight into the team for London and do well, but it will surely help to get some senior international racing under your belt first. Nice to see Georgia Davies get selected for the 50 Back after blasting a 59.60 on the first 100 of her 200 Back. I wonder if they might put her on the Back leg of the medley relay heats.
Men
Adam Brown - Hatfield/Auburn
Simon Burnett - Windsor
David Carry - British Gas ITC Stockport
Ross Davenport - British Gas ITC Loughborough
James Disney-May - Millfield
Daniel Fogg - British Gas ITC Loughborough
Kristopher Gilchrist - British Gas ITC Bath
James Goddard - British Gas ITC Stockport
Antony James - Plymouth Leander
Michael Jamieson - British Gas ITC Bath
Roberto Pavoni - British Gas ITC Loughborough
Robbie Renwick - City of Glasgow
Michael Rock - British Gas ITC Stockport
Joseph Roebuck - Loughborough University
Jak Scott - British Gas ITC Stirling
Liam Tancock - British Gas ITC Loughborough
Grant Turner - British Gas ITC Loughborough
Chris Walker-Hebborn - British Gas ITC Bath
Joshua Walsh - British Gas ITC Stirling
Andrew Willis - British Gas ITC Bath
Women
Rebecca Adlington - Nova Centurion
Jazmin Carlin - British Gas ITC Swansea
Georgia Davies - British Gas ITC Swansea
Ellen Gandy - Beckenham
Francesca Halsall - British Gas ITC Loughborough
Kate Haywood - Loughborough University
Joanne Jackson - British Gas ITC Loughborough
Jemma Lowe - British Gas ITC Swansea
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor - British Gas ITC Bath
Caitlin McClatchey - Loughborough University
Hannah Miley - Garioch
Keri-Anne Payne - British Gas ITC Stockport
Stephanie Proud - Chester-Le-Street/University of Florida
Molly Renshaw - Derventio
Elizabeth Simmonds - British Gas ITC Loughborough
Amy Smith - Loughborough University
Gemma Spofforth - Portsmouth Northsea/University of Florida
Stacey Tadd - University of Bath
Rebecca Turner - City of Sheffield
Emma Wilkins - Plymouth Leander
Will be watching Siobhan-Marie's senior debut with interest! I wonder whether she'll focus her taper for European Juniors or for Shanghai...
ReplyDeleteIf i was given the decision, Georgia would lead the medley relay team off in the heats handing onto a team of Tadd-Gandy-Smith. That should be capable of finaling! (Maybe put Halsall the heat anchor and say just do enough, 54 flat will be good enough definately.
ReplyDeleteAlso nice to see Kate Haywood get a spot, she deserves a second chance and showed last year the BR is within her range, a huge plus to our Medley team.
After the 4 x 200 Free in Beijing I think the British team shouldn't take chances in the heats. I would have Haywood on the Breast and Halsall on the Free. On the Back and Fly the swimmers are so close in times that you can move people in and out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tom. Britian shouldn't think they have squad with depth like USA or Australia that they think they can rest their top swimmers only for final.
ReplyDeleteThis strategy made them fell flat on their face in 800FR in Beijing. Anyway, even if they had been in final in Beijing, I don't think they would have medal what with the smashing times that the top 3 medalists produced.
To be entirely honest would swimming Tadd really make a huge difference? She swam faster than Haywood did at nats last week and was untapered, she could bee suprise us by dropping down to the low 1.08s which is what Kate hit in Delhi, i do think Kate has a BR in her but Tadd would not lose huge amounts of time, she swam a 1.09 flat leg in 1.09.9 shape and she has already knocked nearly a full second off of that time untapered this year, i do see what you are saying though and tend to agree.
ReplyDeleteAlso though, did the US not demonstrate that they cannot swim a B team in relay heats in Rome? ha :)
Good point! I don't think there is a single nation that could put in a fully second string team and be 100% sure to qualify for the final.
ReplyDeleteexcept in 800 FR. USA and Australia can swim completely 4 different swimmers for the heats and can still qualify to the final. For that matter, in 400 MR too.
ReplyDeleteUSA's 400 MR were more like C team or even D team. I mean, Elizabeth Pelton (remember how young she must have been, and even now she's not top 100 back either), Kasey Carlson ? Julia Smit?
I meant USA's 400 MR heat team in 2009 Rome.
ReplyDeleteI agree about Smit but not Pelton & Carlson! Did the latter not medal in the 100 Breast? They only had Soni to go faster! and Pelton had gone 60.47 so hardly a amateur.
ReplyDeleteI guess a 1:05 from Hardy would probably be enough to secure a place in the final... if it was Beard going in the heats it might be tight.
ReplyDeleteCarlson did win bronze in 100.
ReplyDeleteBut we cannot really take 2009 rome as guidance, because of the crazy suit factor.
The difference between 4th qualifier (the netherlands) and 10th (the USA) was less than 1 seconds.