Fifteen University of Bath-based athletes and a further five graduates will be representing Great Britain across five sports when the inaugural combined European Championships take place in Glasgow and Berlin from August 2-12.
The multi-sport event, which will be staged every four years, has been designed to raise the profile of the existing continental championships in athletics, aquatics, cycling, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon, as well as a new golf team championship.
Among the 4,500 sportspeople competing will be a sizeable contingent of swimmers who train in the London 2012 Legacy Pool at the University of Bath Sports Training Village.
Eight of them are part of the hugely-successful British Swimming National Centre Bath, including Sport & Exercise Science student Tom Derbyshire. He will make his senior British debut alongside Jess Fullalove, James Guy, Calum Jarvis, Cameron Kurle, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Chloe Tutton and Jazz Carlin – the latter will be competing in the open-water events at a major championships for the first time.
Also making their senior British debuts in the Tollcross International Swimming Centre will be two MJ Church Ambassadors present and past – Sport & Exercise Science graduate Anna Hopkin, a Thompson Education Trust Scholar coached by Mark Skimming, and former World University Games champion Jay Lelliott, who studied Sports Performance.
The synchronised swimming competition will take place in a specially-built pool at the Scotstoun Sports Complex and will see Ilaria Brandimarte – founder and chair of Team Bath Synchro Club – proudly wear GB colours for the first time since receiving British citizenship in May.
“I cannot wait to get there, get involved with the atmosphere and show off all the hard work that we have done – it feels like it has been a long time coming,” said Brandimarte, who also works part-time on reception at the Sports Training Village.
“We finished our last training camp last Thursday, where we were training eight or nine hours every day, and we have three more days of training in Glasgow before competition starts on Friday.
“The main aim is to score in the 80s for all the events. It won’t be easy but we have a strong team and many of them have just come back from the Junior World Championships, where they really achieved more than was expected, so the potential is there.
“This is the first European Championships planned in this way and it feels like a mini Olympics, so it will be great to be able to catch up with all my swim-mates from here in Bath.”
Also competing in Glasgow will be India Lee, a member of the British Triathlon National Performance Centre in Bath – she will be looking to repeat her Elite Women’s gold-medal success from the Europeans in 2016.
The rowing competition will feature Biology graduate Sara Parfett, who was coached by Dan Harris on the GB Rowing Team World-Class Start Programme at the University. She will race in a youthful women’s four alongside Caragh McMurty, Emily Ashford and Jo Wratten.
Unfortunately fellow Bath Start graduate Vicky Thornley will not be able to defend her women’s single scull title after withdrawing from the British team on Monday.
There will be plenty of Bath interest in the European Athletics Championships, taking place in Berlin, with Emily Diamond, Eilidh Doyle, MJ Church Ambassador David King and Sports Performance graduate Cameron Chalmers – supported by a Thompson Education Trust Scholarship – all in the British squad.
Graduates Rosie Clarke, Jack Green and Kirsten McAslan are also competing in Germany.
For more information about the 2018 Glasgow/Berlin European Championships, visit www.teambath.com/euro2018.
Selected athletes
Athletics: Cameron Chalmers, Rosie Clarke*, Emily Diamond, Eilidh Doyle, Jack Green*, David King, Kirsten McAslan*.
Rowing: Sara Parfett*.
Swimming: Jazz Carlin, Tom Derbyshire, Jess Fullalove, James Guy, Anna Hopkin, Calum Jarvis, Cameron Kurle, Jay Lelliott*, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Chloe Tutton.
Synchronised Swimming: Ilaria Brandimarte.
Triathlon: India Lee.
* University of Bath alumni, not currently training at STV.
Who to watch and when (all times subject to change)
Thursday, August 2
1000: Rowing – women’s four heats (Sara Parfett);
Friday, August 3
0900: Synchro Swimming – team free prelim (Ilaria Brandimarte).
0950: Swimming – men’s 400m freestyle heats (Jay Lelliott).
1018: Swimming – women’s 50m freestyle heats (Anna Hopkin).
1106: Rowing – women’s four repechage (Sara Parfett).
1709: Swimming – men’s 400m freestyle final (Jay Lelliiott).
1718: Swimming – women’s 50m freestyle semi-finals (Anna Hopkin).
Saturday, August 4
0930: Swimming – men’s 100m freestyle heats (Calum Jarvis).
0952: Swimming – women’s 100m breaststroke heats (Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Chloe Tutton).
1005: Swimming – men’s 200m butterfly heats (James Guy).
1052: Swimming – men’s 1,500m freestyle heats (Tom Derbyshire).
1145: Rowing – women’s four final (Sara Parfett).
1330: Synchro Swimming – team free final (Ilaria Brandimarte).
1724: Swimming – men’s 100m freestyle semi-finals (Calum Jarvis).
1731: Swimming – women’s 100m breaststroke semi-finals (Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Chloe Tutton).
1740: Swimming – men’s 200m butterfly semi-finals (James Guy).
1823: Swimming – women’s 50m freestyle final (Anna Hopkin).
Sunday, August 5
1330: Synchro Swimming – free combination final (Ilaria Brandimarte).
1700: Swimming – men’s 1,500m freestyle final (Tom Derbyshire).
1720: Swimming – men’s 100m freestyle final (Calum Jarvis).
1725: Swimming – women’s 100m breaststroke final (Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Chloe Tutton).
1845: Swimming – men’s 200m butterfly final (James Guy).
Monday, August 6
0930: Swimming – men’s 200m freestyle heats (James Guy, Calum Jarvis, Cameron Kurle).
0956: Swimming – women’s 200m breaststroke heats (Chloe Tutton).
1330: Synchro swimming – team technical final (Ilaria Brandimarte).
16.05: Athletics – men’s 400m hurdles first round (Jack Green).
1721: Swimming – men’s 200m freestyle semi-finals (James Guy, Calum Jarvis, Cameron Kurle).
1730: Swimming – women’s 200m breaststroke semi-finals (Chloe Tutton).
Tuesday, August 7
0900: Athletics – women’s 400m hurdles first round (Eilidh Doyle, Kirsten McAslan).
0900: Swimming – women’s 100m freestyle heats (Anna Hopkin).
0932: Swimming – women’s 200m individual medley heats (Siobhan-Marie O’Connor).
1025: Swimming – men’s 800m freestyle heats (Tom Derbyshire, Jay Lelliott).
1711: Swimming – women’s 100m freestyle semi-finals (Anna Hopkin).
1725: Swimming – women’s 200m breaststroke final (Chloe Tutton).
1732: Swimming – men’s 200m freestyle final (James Guy, Calum Jarvis, Cameron Kurle).
1739: Swimming – women’s 200m individual medley semi-finals (Siobhan-Marie O’Connor).
1855: Athletics – men’s 400m hurdles semi-finals (Jack Green).
Wednesday, August 8
0939: Swimming – men’s 100m butterfly heats (James Guy).
1630: Swimming – men’s 800m freestyle final (Tom Derbyshire, Jay Lelliott).
1643: Swimming – women’s 100m freestyle final (Anna Hopkin).
1717: Swimming – men’s 100m butterfly semi-finals (James Guy).
1739: Swimming – women’s 200m individual medley semi-finals (Siobhan-Marie O’Connor).
1810: Athletics – women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals (Eilidh Doyle, Kirsten McAslan).
Thursday, August 9
0930: Swimming – women’s 10km open water (Jazz Carlin).
0955: Athletics – men’s 110m hurdles first round (David King).
1315-1630: Triathlon – Elite female race (India Lee).
1700: Swimming: men’s 100m butterfly final (James Guy).
1915: Athletics – men’s 400m hurdles final (Jack Green).
Friday, August 10
1125: Athletics – women’s 3000m steeplechase first round (Rosie Clarke).
1205: Athletics – men’s 4x400m first round (Cameron Chalmers, Jack Green).
1240: Athletics – women’s 4x400m first round (Emily Diamond, Eilidh Doyle, Kirsten McAslan).
1810: Athletics – men’s 110m hurdles semi-final (David King).
1950: Athletics – women’s 400m hurdles final (Eilidh Doyle, Kirsten McAslan).
2035: Athletics – men’s 110m hurdles final (David King).
Saturday, August 11
2030: Athletics – men’s 4x400m final (Cameron Chalmers, Jack Green).
2050: Athletics – women’s 4x400m final (Emily Diamond, Eilidh Doyle, Kirsten McAslan).
Sunday, August 12
1915: Athletics – women’s 3000m steeplechase final (Rosie Clarke).
Lead photo shows Team Bath synchonised swimmer Ilaria Brandimarte in GB kit at her University of Bath London 2012 Legacy Pool training base.
Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.
