Hector Pardoe Spearheads British Open Water Quartet Aiming For Olympic Qualification At Doha Worlds
Hector Pardoe will spearhead a four-strong British marathon swimming team for the World Championships in Doha where Olympic qualification is on the line.
Joining Pardoe will be Toby Robinson, Leah Crisp and Amber Keegan with the women’s 10km getting the action under way at the Old Doha Port on Saturday 3 February and the men’s race on the following day, 4 February.
Both 5k races will take place on 7 February with the mixed 4×1500 completing the action one day later.
Team GB can still qualify two Olympic quota spots for both the women’s and men’s 10km events at Paris 2024.
The top 13 finishers in each race in Doha will obtain a quota place for their National Olympic Committee with the medallists from Fukuoka having already qualified.
Pardoe completed a successful 2023 with fourth in the final leg of the World Aquatics Open Water World Cup in Madeira in December – where he was less than a second off the podium – and was seventh in the World Cup rankings having placed 10th at July’s World Championships in Fukuoka.
(l-r) Leah Crisp, Hector Pardoe & Amber Keegan: Photo Courtesy: British Swimming
Keegan was 18th on her worlds debut last summer and notched a top-20 finish at the World Cup finale in December, while Crisp was two places back in the latter.
Keegan said:
“I’m just in the last bit of hard work now before tapering ready for Doha. Training is going well, and I’m itching to get back to marathon racing. It’s pretty wild to be heading to my second World Champs and for a shot at Olympic qualification.
“Through my five or so years of injury and illness, I thought I had lost my shot at the Olympic dream, so I’m incredibly grateful and excited for this second chance! I’ll give it my all – and it’s cool that we have a team of four at the worlds this time too.”
Completing the Doha-bound GB outfit is Robinson, whose last World Championship outing came in Budapest in 2022 and who will be looking for a strong start to 2024 at his fourth Worlds in a GB cap.
He said:
“I am hugely excited and well-prepared for the upcoming World Championships. This race will determine a world champion but also allocates selection spots for the Olympic Games this summer, so it makes this one of the most important of my career.
“My winter training has gone spectacularly well so far, which gives me huge confidence in getting a great result in Doha.”
British Swimming Performance Pathway and Distance Lead Kevin Renshaw added:
“With Olympic year now upon us, we are really excited to see what this team of marathon swimmers can do in Doha as they look to secure those Paris 2024 quota places.
“These athletes were selected on the back of some strong swims in Madeira just before Christmas, with Hector and Amber having already met the selection criteria after their impressive performances at the last World Championships in Fukuoka.
“Each one of these swimmers has moved on both their experience and performance levels in the marathon events over the past season, and we know they are preparing excellently for what is a huge set of races next month.
“As ever, the quality of the field means the events in Doha will also provide a valuable racing opportunity so early in the season.”
British Swimming marathon swimming team for 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar (3rd-8th February 2024):
Leah Crisp, Bath Performance Centre (England)
Amber Keegan, City of Sheffield (England)
Hector Pardoe, Loughborough University (Wales)
Toby Robinson, Loughborough University (England)