A selection of Britain’s most experienced marathon swimmers have travelled to Perth, Australia ready for the first big race of the season as they take their first step towards this summer’s World Championships.
Seven swimmers will take part in the Billiton Aquatic Super Series 10km on the Swan River on 1 February as part of a selection process to determine which athletes qualify for this year’s World Championships in Kazan.
The squad will feature former World Champion and Olympic silver medallist Keri-anne Payne and Olympian Dan Fogg who finished fifth in 2012.
British Swimming marathon programme lead Bernie Dietzig will lead the squad to Perth.
“This is the first big challenge of the season for the marathon swimmers and the athletes attending are all in good shape off the back of a good block of winter training,” said Dietzig.
“Some of the squad have been abroad on training camps and acclimatising to warmer weather which is good preparation for a highly competitive race that will provide a fairly tough test.
“This race is the first part of the selection for the World Championships in Kazan so I would expect our swimmers to be up there rising to the challenge.”
Stage two of the selection process will take place at the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup leg in Cancun, Mexico in May.
The British athletes competing in Perth on 1 February are:
- Jack Burnell - British Gas National Centre, Loughborough
- Tom Allen – Swim Swansea
- Alice Dearing – Royal Wolverhampton School
- Dan Fogg – British Gas National Centre, Loughborough
- Caleb Hughes – British Gas National Centre, Loughborough
- Danielle Huskisson – Stirling Swim
- Keri-anne Payne - Warrender