Great Britain announces 33-strong swimming team for Paris 2024
The 33-strong British swimming team selected to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in both pool and marathon events was announced Tuesday (16 April).
The resurgent triple Olympic champion Adam Peaty, two-time Olympic gold medallists Tom Dean and James Guy, Olympic champions Anna Hopkin, Kathleen Dawson, Freya Anderson and Matt Richards plus Duncan Scott, who claimed a record four medals at Tokyo 2020 have all been selected.
In the marathon swim, Tokyo 2020 Olympian Hector Pardoe - a bronze medallist at February's World Championships - makes a second successive Olympic marathon swimming team, while Leah Crisp and Toby Robinson make their Games debuts in the 10km distance
"The strength and depth of our pool swimming team was evident to see at the recent Aquatics GB Swimming Championships," said Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England, "and along with the ten swimmers making their debut for Team GB it is fantastic to welcome back seven Olympic champions and nine Olympic medallists."
Peaty, Dean, Colbert, Anderson – GB's strength-in-depth shines through
Leading the charge for the British pool swimmers is breaststroke legend Peaty who has made a resurgent return to the sport after struggling with form and mental health issues since winning two gold medals and a silver at Tokyo 2020.
The world record holder in the 100m breaststroke can now eye a potential threepeat at Paris 2024 to become the first swimmer since Michael Phelps to earn three Olympic golds in the same individual event.
“I’m thrilled to have made my third Olympic team," said Peaty after the announcement. "It’s always amazing to be part of Team GB, but with it being so close to home in Paris this summer, and us having more home fans there supporting us, it’s even more exciting.”
Dean, the first British swimmer to win two gold medals at a single Olympic Games in 113 years when claiming victory in the 200m free and 4x200m relay at Tokyo 2020 is eyeing even more success in France, with a potential five medals for the taking.
Richards, meanwhile, has hit Olympic qualifying standards in six events, meaning he could race 15 times in nine days in pursuit of a medley of medals at the Games in France starting 26 July.
World champion in 400m medley, Freya Colbert, will be looking to replicate that finish at La Défense Arena when the pool swimming events run from 27 July to 4 August 2024.
Namesake Freya Anderson has also made the squad despite missing the Aquatics GB trials in early April due to a glandular fever (mono) diagnosis.
With such strength-in-depth – including five-time Olympic relay medallist Guy – the relay competitions, including the mixed 4x100m medley in which GB are Olympic champions after the discipline's debut in Japan, will also be key.
The two-day marathon swimming discipline will be staged at Pont Alexandre III through the Seine River from 8 to 9 August. Team GB will have three athletes contesting the marathon swimming races for the first time since Beijing 2008.
"It’s a great honour and privilege to represent Team GB this summer in Paris for my second Olympic Games," said Pardoe, before signing off: "À bientôt Paris."
Team GB Paris 2024 Olympic swimming team
Freya Anderson
Kieran Bird
Alex Cohoon
Freya Colbert
Leah Crisp (Marathon)
Kathleen Dawson
Tom Dean
Angharad Evans
Luke Greenbank
James Guy
Medi Harris
Lucy Hope
Anna Hopkin
Daniel Jervis
Joe Litchfield
Max Litchfield
Keanna MacInnes
Jonathon Marshall
Jack McMillan
Oliver Morgan
Eva Okaro
Honey Osrin
Hector Pardoe (Marathon)
Adam Peaty
Ben Proud
Matt Richards
Toby Robinson (Marathon)
Duncan Scott
Katie Shanahan
Laura Stephens
Jacob Whittle
James Wilby
Abbie Wood