TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR IPC SWIMMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

22.04.2010

A 30-strong team has been announced to represent Great Britain at the IPC Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven, Holland.

The British Disability Swimming team, powered by British Gas, will take on the best swimmers in the world in the competition which takes place from 15th – 21st August.

The British challenge will be headed up by Double Paralympic Champion Eleanor Simmonds as she prepares for her second IPC Swimming World Championships.

Simmonds was only 12-years-old when she competed at her first World Championships in Durban and just two years later claimed the nation’s hearts with her tearful celebrations at the Beijing Paralympic Games.

The Swansea-based athlete will be joined by multi-Paralympic Champions Dave Roberts and Sascha Kindred as the Brits aim to prove their place as one of the most successful swimming nations in the world.

John Atkinson, who begins his role as National Performance Director on 1st May, believes that the team has what it takes to achieve on the world stage.

“Having seen the trials in Sheffield it is good to see a number of athletes achieve qualification that haven’t competed at a major international competition before,” Atkinson said. “There are nine athletes that will be competing at their first major international competition and the team has a good mix of youth and experience.

“The blend of experience and previous medallists together with youth is good for the future development of the team. This event gives first time athletes the opportunity to step up and work hard to be successful in the lead up to 2012.

“For any team the aim is to improve from the trial event to the benchmark meet of the year. I believe that if the swimmers work hard in their training and achieve improvements then they will put themselves in a good place for success at the World Championships.

“I begin my new role on the 1st May and we go straight into a training camp in Majorca which will be my first opportunity to build relationships with the staff, coaches and athletes. I think that this will give us all the chance to work as a focused group as we prepare for success on the world stage.”

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