A jam-packed summer of swimming will continue with a young squad of British swimmers looking to make their mark with Team GB at the upcoming European Youth Olympic Festival.
A 16-strong swimming contingent will be heading to Slovakia as part of the Team GB cohort competing at the multi-sport event in Banská Bystrica from 24th to 30th July.
The overall event - which will see around 3,500 athletes and officials represent 48 European nations across 10 Olympic sports - is an important stepping stone for junior swimmers in their journey to representing Great Britain at senior level in the future.
Athletes who have competed at this event in the past and have gone on to enjoy success in the later stages of their career include double Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington and two-time Olympian Lizzie Simmonds, the latter leading the team at the 2022 event as Team GB’s Chef de Mission.
Speaking on the significance of the event, Simmonds said “Being selected for Team GB for the first time is a real honour and privilege, and I’m sure today marks a very proud moment for the 40 talented athletes that have qualified for Banská Bystrica 2022.
"Youth Olympic Festivals are hugely important events, offering young athletes invaluable international competition and the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a multi-sport environment. Embracing and learning from an experience like this one can be the first step in a journey towards competing for Team GB at a senior Olympic Games.
"Having experienced an EYOF myself as an athlete, I'm now looking forward to welcoming a new generation of sporting superstars to Team GB, and supporting them to perform at their best on the European stage this summer.”
Fresh off the back of an impressive performance at the European Junior Championships, Hamilton Aquatics' Oscar Bilbao is looking forward to competing at the event.
“I’m very proud to be representing Great Britain at the EYOF, and having just competed in Bucharest, I think I am well prepared to perform my best and hopefully achieve some personal bests," he said.
Sports Park Swimming will host the swimming during the week-long event, with Great Britain looking to build on the 25 medals won in the last edition of the festival in 2019.
Team GB swimming team competing at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Banska Bystrica (24th-30th July):
Oscar Bilbao – Hamilton Aquatics Dubai
Maisie Brown – Rushmore Royals
Skye Carter – Basildon & Phoenix
Conor Cherrington – Millfield
Kianna Coertze – Warrender Baths
Mabli Collyer – Swansea Aquatics
Phoebe Cooper – City of Sheffield
Evan Davidson – Perth City
Oscar Dodds – City of Leicester
Henry Gray – Chelsea & Westminster
Ella Homan – City of Birmingham
Jakey Hutchinson – City of Leicester
Isla Jones – City of Sheffield
Blythe Kinsman – Mount Kelly
Stefan Krawiec – East Lothain
Luke McGee – City of Sunderland