University of Bath-based trio James Guy, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor and Andrew Willis are among the first group of swimmers to be selected by Team England for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
All three are part of the successful high-performance British Swimming National Centre at the Sports Training Village and all won medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
O’Connor – coached by David McNulty in the London 2012 Legacy Pool – enjoyed a particularly successful meeting, winning six medals including gold in the 200m individual medley.
Guy, coached by Jol Finck, won 400m freestyle bronze – his first medal on the international stage – and raced in three other finals, while Chemical Engineering graduate Willis claimed 200m breaststroke bronze having narrowly missed out on a podium place at the 2010 Games in Delhi.
Swimming Team Leader Grant Robins said: “This is an exciting team that has been selected for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. We have a wealth of experience from athletes that know what it takes to win.
“I know the team will work hard in their home programmes to be the best they can be when they step on the plane to the Gold Coast.”
Fifteen swimmers have been announced in total following the first phase of selections by Swim England, with others to be selected following the Swim England National Winter Championships in December.
Guy, O’Connor and Willis take the number of University-based athletes to be officially selected for the 2018 Commonwealth Games up to four following Sports Performance student Cameron Chalmers’ inclusion in the Guernsey athletics squad. He is supported by a Thompson Education Trust Sports Scholarship.
Report courtesy of Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.
