Olympics-bound swimmer Jack Burnell will lead a small British team to the LEN European Marathon Swimming Championships as part of their final preparations for Rio 2016.
The team of four will travel to Hoorn in the Netherlands (10-14 July) where they will compete across three events - 5km, 10km and 5km team event.
“We are taking a small, focused group of athletes to the European Championships in Hoorn,” explained British Swimming Marathon Lead Bernie Dietzig. “It includes one of our two Rio-bound athletes, Jack, who will race in the 10km marathon event.
“It will be his last preparation race for the Olympic Games and, with it being exactly five weeks out from Rio, it is great timing. The race will see a strong field hungry for success and will provide us with a taste of the environment that we will face in Rio.”
For Burnell the European Championships offer the perfect chance for a final race before arriving in Brazil.
“Im looking forward to putting the finishing touches to my preparation for Rio over the coming weeks and the European Championships will play a big part in that as it will be my last race,” said Burnell. It will be a great chance to sharpen the focus and I’ll be paying specific attention to my race tactics.”
British Swimming will also send a team of 10 to the FINA World Junior Championships, which takes place at the same venue (16 - 18 July).
“We have selected a group to race a highly competitive field,” said Dietzig. “For the first time there will be three age groups and I am excited to see the introduction of the 18 – 19 years 10km race which will give some of those athletes the last opportunity to race their age group before making the step up to senior level.
“The World Juniors gives our next generation of marathon swimmers the opportunity to experience tough international races as they continue their journey in the sport.”
The senior marathon swimming squad destined for the European Championships comprises:
Jack Burnell – National Centre, Loughborough
Caleb Hughes – Loughborough University
Jay Lelliott- University of Bath
Danielle Huskisson – University of Stirling
The junior marathon swimming squad destined for the World Junior Championships comprises:
Ioan Evans - Bridgend County
Nathan Hughes - Hatfield
Gordon Mason - Ellesmere College
Tom Millburn - Cockermouth
Hector Pardoe - Ellesmere College
Leah Crisp - City of Leeds
Alice Dearing – National Centre, Loughborough
Rose Foden - Northampton
Phoebe Griffiths - Ellesmere College
Philippa Shuttleworth - Loughborough University