ADLINGTON
TO DEFEND EUROPEAN JUNIOR TITLE
Nova Centurion's Rebecca Adlington will defend her
800m freestyle title at this year's European Junior Championships
in Hungary.
The 16-year-old, who also won bronze in the same event at
last month's ASDA British Swimming Championships, has been
named as part of a 29-strong British squad to head to the
Hungarian capital Budapest at the end of July.
Adlington is one of five swimmers named who also attended
last year's senior European Short Course Championships in
Vienna. Ed Downes (Maxwell), Craig Elliot (Cockermouth), Liam
Smith (City of Leeds) and Hollie O'Connor (Kingston Upon Hull)
complete the quintet.
The Championships, which are open to boys aged 17-18 years
and girls aged 15-16 years, are a highlight of the British
Swimming calendar and according to Great Britain Youth and
Age Coach Tim Jones, are a key step in the development of
Britain's top athletes.
"A number of the swimmers in the squad have already
been exposed to competition at a senior level," said
Jones. "There is a group of girls who gained invaluable
experience at the US Open at the end of last year and at part
of the World Cup series in January.
"We have traditionally sent strong teams to both competitions
and a good number of athletes who have attended the meets
in the past have gone on to feature in senior teams in future
years. There are some really exciting prospects.
"Past experience tells us that the European junior competitions
are tremendous breeding grounds for the future. A significant
proportion of former European Junior squad members were in
Athens last year, including medallists David Davies and Steve
Parry. We shouldn't underestimate the importance of this meet
- it is a key factor in the ability to achieve at senior level.
"There is also a lot of experience on the staff side.
We are taking a mix of seasoned international coaches and
also some new talent coming through the system who have already
proven themselves and put their athletes on these teams. There
will be a tight support system behind the swimmers.
"This summer we'll look to continue the trend over the
past four years of successful junior championships. Key goals
are to be the most professional junior team and to support
the athletes to allow them to achieve their goals.
"We are aiming to be both successful in the number of
medals won and points scored, which I hope will reflect the
state of our junior swimmers in this country."
The European Junior Championships are taking place at Alfred
Hajos Pool in Budapest from 14-17 July.
The European Junior Championships squad:
Chris Alderton (Durham Aquatics)
James Batley (Millfield)
Mark Branch (REN 96)
Ross Clark (Co Dundee)
James Clarke (Millfield)
Ed Downes (Maxwell)
Craig Elliott (Cockermouth)
Daniel Fogg (Bo Waltham Forest)
Thomas Haffield (City of Cardiff)
Scott Houston (Stirling Swim)
Mark McKenna (City of Manchester Aquatics)
Robbie Renwick (City of Aberdeen)
Lewis Smith (Warrender)
Liam Smith (City of Leeds)
Rebecca Adlington (Nova Centurian)
Jazmin Carlin (Tigersharks)
Jessica Dickons (Borough of Stockton)
Natalie Durant (Ealing)
Rachel Gatford (Beckenham)
Rachael George (Hatfield)
Julie Gould (Guildford City)
Francesca Halsall (City of Liverpool)
Jemma Lowe (Borough of Stockton)
Hannah Miley (City of Glasgow)
Hollie O'Connor (Kingston upon Hull)
Sarah Owen (Portsmouth Northsea)
Chloe Ross (Beckenham)
Stacey Tadd (University of Bath)
Katy Whitfield (Stockport Metro)
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