British Para-Swimming has selected 55 athletes to be part of its World Class Performance Programme for the 2018/2019 season.
A robust performance review programme with coaches and athletes has been utilised to identify who meets the UK Sport programme criteria and will receive direct support through the World Class Performance Programme.
For Para-Swimming the athlete selection is broken down as follows:
- Podium – 14 Athletes (8 female and 6 male)
- Podium Potential – 16 Athletes (9 female and 7 male)
- Para-Swimming Academy Squad – 25 Athletes (12 female and 13 male)
Selected athletes receive access to world-class sports science and medicine services, advanced training camp and competition opportunities and support from British Swimming performance staff and National Institute of Sport programmes across the UK.
The World Para Swimming European Championships 2018 in Dublin proved to be a highly successful event with the team bringing home a total of 55 medals, 20 of them gold and demonstrating the potential medal winning capability that is currently possessed within British Para-Swimming.
The British Para-Swimming World Class Programme continues to liaise closely with the Home Nations to identify and recruit new athletes to guarantee a strong future talent pool to continue working towards being the best performing Para-Swimming nation at the Paralympic Games.
Athletes have now returned to training following an end of season rest and begin the final half of 2020 Paralympic cycle.
National Performance Director Chris Furber explained: “The penultimate season before the Paralympic Games is always an exciting time for the programme.
“This year we get to practice our Tokyo strategy by travelling east for the world champs in Kuching, Malaysia. The athletes selected on to the programme have demonstrated they have the potential to perform on the biggest stage.
“The next two years will be about fine tuning our process and ensuring that athletes are well supported to the blocks and beyond, and also enable them to achieve their dreams.
“The 30 athletes selected onto our podium and podium potential squads bring a level of youthfulness matched with the determination and resilience to be successful at the top level.”
Performance Pathway Manager Craig Nicholson added: “The Academy Squad is now in its third season, growing year on year.
“The 2018-2019 selection is our largest and youngest squad of para-swimmers from across the three Home Nation Talent Programmes and we are looking forward to working with these athletes and their coaches.
“The Academy squad has become an integral step on the para-swimming pathway in supporting the athletes through their transition from the Home Nation Talent programmes through to the World Class programme.
“I believe this has been further strengthened through the introduction of the ROAR Ingredients, the athlete development framework.
“This year’s Academy squad selections shows para-swimming has an exciting future, when we look beyond Tokyo and towards 2024.”
The season for athletes will begin this Saturday (20/10/18) with the annual British Para-Swimming programme conference in Manchester.
Athletes selected for the Podium programme are:
Podium Squad:
| Athlete | Home Programme/Club | Coach |
| Stephen Clegg | City of Sunderland | Danny Thompson |
| Tom Hamer | National Performance Centre/ COMAST | Graeme Smith |
| Oliver Hynd | Nova Centurion | Glenn Smith |
| Michael Jones | National Performance Centre/ COMAST | Graeme Smith |
| Scott Quin | Warrender Baths | Kostas Kalitsis |
| Lewis White | COMAST | Mark Rose |
| Jessica-Jane Applegate | UEA City of Norwich SC | Alex Pinniger |
| Louise Fiddes | Hatfield SC | Janko Gojkovic |
| Bethany Firth | Ards | Nelson Lindsay |
| Eleanor Robinson | Northampton SC | Jacquie Marshall |
| Hannah Russell | National Performance Centre/ COMAST | Graeme Smith |
| Eleanor Simmonds | Camden Swiss Cottage | Billy Pye |
| Maisie Summers- Newton | Northampton | Jacquie Marshall |
| Alice Tai | Ealing SC | Dave Heathcock |
Podium Potential Squad:
| Athlete | Home Programme/Club | Coach |
| Oludaisi Adefisan | Nova Centurion | Glenn Smith |
| Jonathan Booth | Borough of Kirklees | Richard Swystun |
| Jordan Catchpole | UEA City of Norwich SC | Alex Pinniger |
| Tyler Ioannou | Wycombe SC | Kevin Brooks |
| Jacob Leach | Cockermouth SC | Sean Balmer |
| Conner Morrison | University of Aberdeen | Gregor McMillan |
| Andrew Mullen | City of Glasgow/Ren96 | Ian Wright |
| Katie Crowhurst | Wycombe SC | David Gee |
| Danielle Hartin | Basildon Phoenix | Doug Campbell |
| Grace Harvey | National Performance Centre/ Hoddesdon | Graeme Smith |
| Abby Kane | North Ayrshire ASC | Jess Wilkie |
| Tully Kearney | City of Manchester | Matt Walker |
| Zara Mullooly | City of Guildford | Lee Spindlow |
| Rebecca Redfern | Worcester City | Mark Stowe |
| Megan Richter | Orion | Carl Flynn |
| Toni Shaw | University of Aberdeen | Gregor McMillan |
Para-Swimming Academy Squad:
| Athlete | Home Programme/Club | Coach |
| Luke Batty | Bolton Metro Swimming Squad | Ric Howard |
| Lewis Beagrie | Hamilton Baths | Ann O’Neill |
| Roan Brennan | Basildon and Phoenix SC | Karen Epsley |
| Dylan Broom | Ian Rosser | Torfaen Dolphins Performance |
| Oliver Carter | Stirling University SC | Josh Williamson |
| Rhys Davies | Pembroke & District ASC | Craig Nelson |
| Benjamin Grainger | Mount Kelly | Lawrie Thompson |
| George Kelman-Johns | Swim Bournemouth | Matt Heathcock |
| Louis Lawlor | City of Glasgow | Danielle Brayson |
| Leo McCrea | Bournemouth Collegiate School Academy | James Ryan |
| Jack Milne | Dundee City Aquatics | David Haig |
| Benjamin Pope | Havant & Waterlooville SC | Zoe Stemp |
| Kieran Williams | Newquay Cormorants SC | Ian Russell |
| Aliya Bacakoglu | Borough of Kirklees SC | Jason Kan |
| Ellie Challis | Colchester Phoenix ASC | Julie Jago |
| Scarlett Humphrey | Northampton Swimming Club | Michael Haines |
| Beth Johnston | B.E.S.T | Robyn Methven |
| Seren Leconte | Rhondda Cynon Taf Performance Swim Squad | Keith Morgan |
| Rebecca Lewis | Rhondda Cynon Taf Performance Swim Squad | Keith Morgan |
| Megan Neave | City of Derby Swimming Club | Jamie Brown |
| Leah O’Connell | Camden Swimming Club | Gerry Gillespie |
| Georgia Sheffield | City of Salford SC | Danielle Naylor |
| Fern Sneddon | Royal Tunbridge Wells Monson SC | Della Clout |
| Brock Whiston | Barking & Dagenham Aquatics Club | Siobhan George Stewart Nicklin |
| Meghan Willis | Torfaen Dolphins Performance | Brett Nowell |
About British Swimming
British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Para-Swimming, Diving, High Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high-performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (ASA), Scotland (Scottish ASA) and Wales (Welsh ASA). British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
About UK Sport
Every athlete who has received National Lottery funding will have a story to tell of the difference that it has made to their Olympic or Paralympic dream. But the simple truth is that the National Lottery has taken sport in the UK to a new level. Each successive Games proves that there is no longer any margin for error if you want the top prize. Medals are won and lost by the smallest possible margins – the power of UK Sport’s National Lottery investment is in its ability to seek out those tenths, hundredths or even thousandths of a second, wherever they exist, and make sure that if there’s a close call, British athletes emerge on the winning side.
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