British Swimming Announce 29-Strong Team For Fukuoka Worlds: No Place For Luke Greenbank
British Swimming have selected a 29-strong team for the World Championships in Fukuoka, with a focus on qualifying relay spots for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
With Paris on the horizon, the team bound for Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A for the eight-day swimming programme – which runs from 23rd-30th July – includes a blend of world-class arena experience with up-and-coming talent.
Six Olympic champions – Tom Dean, Duncan Scott, Anna Hopkin, James Guy, Matt Richards and Freya Anderson – will be joined by Ben Proud, yet to be beaten in international long-course waters since Tokyo.
James Guy; Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA
For Guy it will be a sixth straight worlds following his debut at Barcelona 2013 where he finished fifth in the 400 free. Since then, he’s won 10 medals – four of them gold – including the 200 free at Kazan 2015.
However, there’s no place for Luke Greenbank, the Olympic bronze and world silver medallist, who was third in both the 100 and 200 back at the trials in Sheffield.
Nor will Kathleen Dawson be on the plane, the European 100 backstroke record-holder not yet back on that sort of form following the back injury and rehab that ruled her out of 2022.
James Wilby, who won gold following a prelim swim in the medley relay at the 2019 worlds, is joined by fellow breaststroker Greg Butler with Adam Peaty not having competed at trials last week in Sheffield as he continues to focus on his mental health.
Although there’s been no definitive statement, it’s unlikely the eight-time world champion will be in Japan in July.
Five athletes – Freya Colbert, Dan Jervis, Laura Stephens, Shanahan and Richards – made the automatic cut at trials with 10 having made consideration times and 14 chosen at the selectors’ discretion.
Richards produced a fine meet going 21.98 for third in the 50 free as well as a 47.72 100 prelim before taking bronze once more.
The Welshman then won the 200 free in 1:44.83 ahead of Olympic champion Dean and James Guy.
He said:
“It’s always an honour to represent GB at international meets. This will be my second World Championships but the first time I’ll be racing individual events as well as relays.
“We’ve got an extremely strong team ahead of the summer across a whole multitude of events and I can’t wait to get out to Japan with that team and bring home some silverware.
“Sheffield was a great meet for me but there were still lots of mistakes made and lessons learnt. We’ve got 15 weeks now to adjust and fine tune everything we do ahead of the summer to make sure that I step up across all of my events again.”
British Swimming Performance Director Chris Spice said:
“We were really pleased with the standard of our athletes’ performances at the British Championships, with established names and new faces delivering big swims and helping play their part in some outstanding races.
Ben Proud: Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
“It is difficult to highlight just a few performances from Sheffield, but Matt Richards finishing the week with a win in another stunning men’s 200m freestyle final was great, as was the contest between Katie Shanahan and Abbie Wood in the women’s 200m individual medley, as well as Katie and Freya Colbert across the 400m IM and the 200m backstroke. The noise of the crowd as Dan Jervis finished off his impressive 1500m freestyle swim was a memorable moment, as well as Oliver Morgan sweeping the men’s backstroke events.
“The way that our female athletes are moving things on is also reflected in this team – Freya Anderson and Laura Stephens are just two more experienced performers who delivered eye-catching personal bests last week and will be looking to build again into the summer.
“As with every year, our swimmers and coaches will now put those performances behind them and focus on what they can do between now and the summer to ensure they can deliver a season’s best when it matters most. Key training blocks and some important racing opportunities are on the cards in the coming months, and we know our athletes will make the most of every single one of those with the World Championships in mind.
“Relays continue to be a primary focus of competition for us, and our selections have helped us to ensure we have the requisite strength in depth to stand those relay teams in good stead for Worlds, when we will be targeting qualifying quota spots for Paris 2024 in all our relays.”
British team for Fukuoka:
- Freya Colbert, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Daniel Jervis, Swim Wales High Performance Centre
- Matt Richards, Millfield
- Katie Shanahan, University of Stirling
- Laura Stephens, Loughborough Performance Centre
The athletes above gained selection after winning an Olympic event at the British Swimming Championships and achieving the relevant qualifying time, as per clause 5.1 of the selection policy.
- Cameron Brooker, Bath Performance Centre
- Greg Butler, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Lauren Cox, Loughborough University
- Kara Hanlon, Edinburgh University
- Medi Harris, Swim Wales High Performance Centre
- Lucy Hope, University of Stirling
- Joe Litchfield, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Keanna MacInnes, University of Stirling
- Jack McMillan, University of Stirling *
- Oliver Morgan, University of Birmingham
- Luke Turley, Bath Performance Centre
- Jacob Whittle, Loughborough Performance Centre
- James Wilby, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Brodie Williams, Bath Performance Centre
The athletes above gained selection at the discretion of the GB Head Coach and Performance Director, as per clause 5.2 of the selection policy. The criteria for these decisions included the need to qualify as many relay teams as possible for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games; provision of relay cover and alternates to rest key athletes with large schedules; potential to make the Paris 2024 Olympic team; individual performances over the last 12 months and performances at the 2023 British Swimming Championships.
- Freya Anderson, Bath Performance Centre
- Lewis Burras, Repton
- Tom Dean, Bath Performance Centre
- James Guy, Bath Performance Centre
- Anna Hopkin, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Emily Large, Millfield
- Jacob Peters, Bath Performance Centre
- Ben Proud, Bath University
- Duncan Scott, University of Stirling
- Abbie Wood, Loughborough Performance Centre
The athletes above gained selection after achieving consideration times in an Olympic event at the British Swimming Championships, as per clause 5.3 of the selection policy.
* Subject to nationality ratification
Coaches
- Jamie Main, Bath Performance Centre
- David Hemmings, Loughborough Performance Centre
- Ryan Livingstone, Millfield
- Mel Marshall, Loughborough Performance Centre
- David McNulty, Bath Performance Centre
- Steven Tigg, University of Stirling