Thinking of the relay - does anyone know if GB Aquatics do relay training? I think the athletics squads have specific training sessions dedicated to the relays but can't recall them ever being mentioned in relation to swimming
Athletics mostly only does that becuase of the batton.
I don't think he actually does, he's already qualified so he's effectively in the same boat as a pool athlete doubling up. Would be very stupid if he does count as two places.
It would be stupid but you can just see them thinking of that.
Brilliant swims from Jervis and Robinson, both of whom will most likely represent us in the 1500m. I think I'm also right in saying that Robinson doesn't take a place off another athlete due to him qualifying in the open water, so it's highly likely the selectors will let him race this despite missing out by half a second.
I thought the open water team was separate to the 30 limit. In which cause he does take a place in that 30 if selected.
Bit harsh on Dawson surely? Today is the first time that she's broken the minute since her injury and she's done it twice. She's taken about 0.7 off the time she did in Doha. Steady progress and she obviously has the potential to go much faster if she were to get back to her 2021 form.
I'm much more disappointed in Cox and Harris. They are both way off what they have been previously. Harris at least showed up well in the 200m free.
The medley calculation will come down to whether someone can get close on the fly. I think the other 3 strokes *should* be fine
Oh that's the first real disappointment of the meet. Great that Dawson gets the spot on the team but her time wasn't great given what she put in in the heats - had hoped she'd get under 59.5. I keep changing my mind on whether the medley relay is going to hit the nomination time.
I also expected Lauren Cox to get the time so for her not to break a minute is a blow. I still think she'll get a place on the squad though.
Will be very disappointing to miss the medley relay,
Our first British record of the week! So excited to see what the medley can do over the summer. We could field a team that consists of the current British record holders in all 4 strokes.
Marshall's underwaters are fantastic. The 200m is going to be another dogfight. Greenbank has always been better at that distance so he's going to be a threat to the others.
Blocksidge's time is still astonishingly good for a junior, let alone a 14 year old jnr. She's almost 40 seconds inside the Euro Jnr standard. Hell, she was inside the Jnr standard for the 800m with the split from that 1500m.
She was in the commentary this morning saying that she was feeling good and back to about 90% so it should be safe bet she takes to the starting blocks for 100m free later in the week. Hopefully she has a good day (health wise) and is able to get the standard and auto selection.
Would she be commentating if she was planning to be racing in a few days?
Weird that the men's 100m back which has been a relative weak spot for GBR over the years is suddenly alive and kicking. Jonny Marshall's swim was strong but Oli Morgan just blew it out of the water.
It's huge for the relay implications as well.
Maybe in 2028/2032 the 200 fly can be strong as well.
AP did both heat and final of the mixed in Tokyo. He only didn't do the men's medley heat. So it would hardly be a crazy increase in his workload to add one more race to his schedule, especially as there's no 50m event at the OGs.
I think they will want to take Wilby if they can. But my point was that what happens this week in other events will determine whether they can or not, just like with Bird. If Wilby doesn't get the 200m time and someone else does, that person will be going as APs backup. Likewise, if Bird is able to be 5th or 6th in the 200m free, he puts himself in a better place.
I just don't agree with the assertion that he knows he isn't in consideration. There's a lot of swimming to happen this week before we know the answer to that.
And that’s where the 30 limit goes into cost cutting territory rather than raising standards.
AP did both heat and final of the mixed in Tokyo. He only didn't do the men's medley heat. So it would hardly be a crazy increase in his workload to add one more race to his schedule, especially as there's no 50m event at the OGs.
I think they will want to take Wilby if they can. But my point was that what happens this week in other events will determine whether they can or not, just like with Bird. If Wilby doesn't get the 200m time and someone else does, that person will be going as APs backup. Likewise, if Bird is able to be 5th or 6th in the 200m free, he puts himself in a better place.
I just don't agree with the assertion that he knows he isn't in consideration. There's a lot of swimming to happen this week before we know the answer to that.
Plus a few months to the games. If one of the top 4x200m guys had to withdraw from Paris it’s likely they would try and keep the relay spot with the next in line.
I think that's overstating things. They'll absolutely consider his case - and Wilby's - if there are not 30 better options. He's just worried that there *will* be 30 better options.
He's predicting what might happen based on the likely results through the rest of the week. That's all. He's being supportive of his teammates in a weird way - he thinks that more of them will do a better job than he has done!
Wilby has more to his case in terms of prior experience of making numerous major finals and being Peaty’a relay backup. If they don’t take him then Peaty will surely have to do the relay heats That doesn’t fit a focus on relays as good medal opportunities.
I think Bird's disappointment can be put down to the fact that he's given the selectors an excuse to *not* pick him. Rather than guaranteeing himself a spot as he looked like he might, he's now entirely in the hands of the selectors. That's never a position you want to be in.
The unspoken part of everything, of course, is that Bird is, on entry time, the 11th fastest 200m free swimmer. If he can get himself up to, say, 6th or 7th in that race he could make an argument for himself as relay cover there.
I think there's still a lot that could change this week. Burras's form is somewhat unknown, for example. He could easily be left off the plane if he doesn't show well this week.
Personally I think that *if* they take Anderson they absolutely will be expecting her to pull heat/final relay swims. I'm not sure that the teams will be strong enough without her.
I think he seems to be fully aware the selectors are not really considering cases like him,
Direct comparisons to last year's World Champs are problematic because British Swimming had to change their selection policy halfway through the meet, but they did that to get to their 30 team limit so it is a good starting point to highlight the challenges we may have with the team size this year.
GB sent a team of 29 swimmers to Fukuoka -
Men's Squad (17):
Lewis Burras - 50m Free / 100m Free
Ben Proud - 50m Free
Matt Richards - 100m Free / 200m Free
Tom Dean - 200m Free / 200m IM
Luke Turley - 400m Free / 800m Free
Daniel Jervis - 800m Free / 1500m Free
Cameron Brooker - 100m Backstroke
Oliver Morgan - 100m Backstroke / 200m Backstroke
Brodie Williams - 200m Backstroke
James Wilby - 100m Breaststroke
Greg Butler - 200m Breaststroke
Jacob Peters - 100m Butterfly
James Guy - 100m Butterfly
Duncan Scott - 200m IM
Joe Litchfield - Relay Cover
Jacob Whittle - Relay Cover
Jack McMillan - Relay Cover
Luke Turley didn't make the 400m time and probably won't do it in the 800 either. I think Cameron Brooker and Brodie Williams will fail to get into the top 2 of their events so can also be removed. That creates an adjusted squad size of 14.
We definitely need to add in Adam Peaty and probably Luke Greenbank (200m Back), Jonathan Adam (100m Back) and Max Litchfield (400m IM). An argument could be made for taking another freestyle relay cover - probably Edward Mildred, but I'll assume that won't happen. That would take the men's squad to 18.
Women's Squad (12):
Anna Hopkin - 50m Free
Freya Anderson - 200m Free
Abbie Wood - 200m Free
Freya Colbert - 400m Free / 400m IM
Lauren Cox - 100m Backstroke
Medi Harris - 100m Backstroke
Katie Shanahan - 200m Backstroke / 200m IM / 400m IM
Kara Hanlon - 100m Breaststroke / 200m Breaststroke
Keanna MacInnes - 100m Butterfly
Laura Stephens - 200m Butterfly
Emily Large - 200m Butterfly
Lucy Hope - 4x200m Relay
Emily Large didn't get the standard in the 200m Butterfly and probably won't get it in the 100m so can be removed from the list. I am going to take out Anderson on the basis that she is sick and won't perform this week. I also think Medi Harris will be pushed close in the 100m Back by Kathleen Dawson but for now, I will leave Harris in as an individual and have an adjusted team size of 10.
I think Angharad Evans will get the standard (100m Breast) and will need to be added, as will Honey Osrin (200m Back) and Amelie Blocksidge (1500m Free). That would take the adjusted team size up to 31 but it would leave the women's team dangerously underweight on freestyle relay cover so I think they would have to add in an additional 200m Free - Leah Schlosshan - and an additional 100m Free swimmer to give a women's team of 15.
That's us up to 33 making it difficult to include Kieran Bird. They could give dispensation for Anderson (and I hope they do) but I'm not sure that would fully negate the need for the additional relay cover as I'm not sure they would want to use her in both heats and finals of the relays.
You can tell that the selectors have already told atheltes they is no discretionary place. Kieran Bird looked like someone who knows he only be in Paris as a spectator.
Think Wilby might also miss out if they have enough confirmed and will they take Stephens if they do need to cut further (Or would like less in general).
I think that people are overthinking the 30 swimmer limit.
The maximum number of individual qualifiers we could take theoretically would be 56 - 2 in each of the 28 events.
In practical terms we won't get close to that - between some events likely not getting a swimmer in - like the men's 400m free - or by people likely doubling up - from today you would bank on MacInnes, Wood and Colbert all almost certainly taking another spot, amongst others.
So unless we start getting some *really* unexpected results, I doubt they will have to make many tough decisions.
I think Bird and Wilby are still in with a reasonable shout of making the 30. As is Anderson.
Going by Bird’s interview I don’t think he thinks he will be considered.
My gut instinct is that they will give Anderson every chance. In my mind she really has to go.
Bird I really don’t know about - you’d assume surely with no other representation in the 400m or 800m then he has a very strong argument.
i think the issue from the quota is mainly on the Big freestyle squads we will take on both men and women with the relays in mind. If the distance freestylers get in (Amelie and Dan Jarvis and Kieran), the 30 gets tight considering we are likely to have 4 backstrokers go on men’s and women’s side.. breaststroke looks likely to have 2 women and 2 men. Fly is looking like 2 women and men too. I’m assuming the IMs will be dean Scott Max Litchfield, Colbert and Katie and Abbie (already counting in the individual stroke totals above). 16 from combined fly, breast and back + 3 distance swimmers would take you to 19.
mens free squads - proud Burras Dean Scott guy richards whittle max litchfield (8)but I’ve counted Jimmy in the fly, so this adds 7.
womens free squads - Anderson Colbert wood Harris hope Hopkin. Possibly okaro to make the team for the 4x100. That would be 7 but already counting Medi in the backstroke, so it’s 6 to add to the count.
Technically, yes, but given Anderson's Swiss Army knife relay quality, it's not a hard decision - the only issue is will she be race fit.
It is a hard decision because if she doesn’t perform in the relay someone will feel justified in being very annoyed. That’s the big issue with having a set number. No room to mitigate the risk from gambles.
Taking Anderson would, at least in theory, still need to happen within the limit of 30 swimmers though? So, although she wouldn't be depriving anyone from taking the spot in the individual event, someone else would potentially have to miss out on the discretionary pick.
And I think that’s why they won’t do it. Anderson will be told sorry but that’s the rules.
my other takeaway from tonight was in the junior girls 200m freestyle. Amelie was absolutely nowhere at 150 and stormed back to almost win the entire thing. She sets a PB in the process and the way she came back is very encouraging for her 1500m tomorrow.
I hope she doesn’t just miss out like Kierian Bird has done.
Mark Foster must know that's just not going to happen under the current selection policy.
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Athletics mostly only does that becuase of the batton.
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