The selections for British Swimming's World Class Programme (WCP) for the 2021/22 season have been made, with a total of 55 athletes included as attentions turn to another packed year of action after a historic summer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
As ever, a rigorous and detailed selection process was followed to draw up the full list of swimmers, analysing athletes' past performances and recent form in the pool, as well as a robust assessment of their ability to be successful at future Olympiads and World Championships, with the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan only eight months away.
Just as with the 2020/21 selections, the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic was taken into account during the decision-making process.
The swimmers on the World Class Programme are split across Podium and Podium Potential tiers. They will receive programme opportunities and targeted support from UK Sport through the World Class Performance Programme's Athlete Performance Award.
Athletes named on the WCP are also eligible to benefit from key competition opportunities and training camp experiences throughout the season in which they are selected, as well as getting access to comprehensive support from the world-class British Swimming performance and support staff, and national Institute of Sport programmes across the UK's Home Nations.
The Podium tier list features nine Olympic champions, including three double Olympic champions from Tokyo 2020 - Adam Peaty, Tom Dean and James Guy - while among the newcomers to the Podium Potential list are medallists from July's European Junior Championships, with Evelyn Davis also having claimed two gold medals at the senior European Championships in Budapest earlier in the year.
Of the 2021/22 WCP cohort, British Swimming National Performance Director Chris Spice said: "This is an exciting time for the programme after an incredible year, which culminated with our swimmers making history at the Olympic Games, claiming four golds and eight medals in total - testament to the outstanding work they and the staff across British Swimming and our Home Nation partners continue to put in.
"There was also a best-ever return from the Europeans in Budapest, and more promising signs from our younger athletes against some of the best in the world at the European Junior Championships.
"The 2021/22 season will feature a World Championships in Fukuoka, European Championships in Rome and a Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and as ever, we will be looking to move things on again with our WCP athletes. For some of the younger ones, they will be on a longer-term journey toward Paris, and we look forward to working with them in that as they develop towards 2024 and beyond.
"But for every athlete on the programme, the next Olympic Games are now less than three years away, and the build towards that begins now."
Within the 2021/22 cohort is a sub-group who have been nominated under UK Sport’s Confirmation Phase. This is a group of junior, high-potential athletes, identified in conjunction with the Home Nations, who we will support to graduate within the World Class Programme over the next two years.
Podium
Freya Anderson, Bath NC (England)
Kathleen Dawson, University of Stirling (Scotland)
Tom Dean, Bath NC (England)
Luke Greenbank, Loughborough NC (England)
James Guy, Bath NC (England)
Lucy Hope, University of Stirling (Scotland)
Anna Hopkin, Loughborough NC (England)
Calum Jarvis, Bath NC (Wales)
Daniel Jervis, Swansea University (Wales)
Max Litchfield, Loughborough NC (England)
Adam Peaty, Loughborough NC (England)
Ben Proud, University of Bath (England)
Molly Renshaw, Loughborough NC (England)
Matt Richards, Bath NC (Wales)
Duncan Scott, University of Stirling (Scotland)
James Wilby, Loughborough NC (England)
Abbie Wood, Loughborough NC (England)
Podium Potential
Jonathon Adam, Bath NC (England)
Angus Allison, University of Stirling (Scotland)
Will Bell, Loughborough University (England)
Kieran Bird, Bath NC (Wales)
Kyle Booth, City of Cardiff Swimming Club (Wales)
Cameron Brooker, Wycombe District Swimming Club (England)
Charlie Brown, City of Sheffield Swim Squad (England)
Freya Colbert, Nova Centurion Swimming Club (England)
Evelyn Davis, Bromley Swimming Club (Scotland)
Alice Dearing, Loughborough University (England)
Harvey Freeman, Northampton Swimming Club (England)
Archie Goodburn, Loughborough NC (Scotland)
Lucy Grieve, South Ayrshire Swim Team (Scotland)
Medi Harris, Swansea University (Wales)
Charlie Hutchison, Loughborough NC (Scotland)
Evan Jones, Millfield School (Scotland)
Harriet Jones, City of Cardiff Swimming Club (Wales)
Cameron Kurle, University of Stirling (England)
Emily Large, Bath NC (England)
Joe Litchfield, Loughborough NC (England)
Keanna MacInnes, University of Stirling (Scotland)
James McFadzen, Loughborough University (England)
Ed Mildred, Bath NC (England)
Eva Okaro, Sevenoaks Swimming Club (England)
Hector Pardoe, Montpellier (Wales)
Jacob Peters, Bath NC (England)
Sienna Robinson, City of Sheffield Swimming Club (England)
Toby Robinson, Loughborough NC (England)
Emma Russell, University of Stirling (Scotland)
Katie Shanahan, City of Glasgow Swim Team (Scotland)
George Smith, Ellesmere College (England)
Laura Stephens, Plymouth Leander (England)
Kayla Van Der Merwe, Winchester City Penguins (England)
Tamryn Van Selm, Millfield School (England)
Sarah Vasey, Loughborough NC (England)
Jacob Whittle, Loughborough NC (England)
Cassie Wild, University of Stirling (Scotland)
Brodie Williams, Bath NC (England)