Loughborough College swimmers will join Team England for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
College degree students Luke Greenbank and Sarah Vasey will be heading to the Gold Coast alongside alumni Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Molly Renshaw and Lizzie Simmonds. Former Loughborough College student Melanie Marshall is coach to Olympic champion Adam Peaty, who will be headlining the team.
No fewer than 42 athletes from Loughborough College competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, winning 31 medals.
The 15-strong team selection has been announced by Swim England following the first phase of qualification and marks six months before the opening ceremony on 4 April next year when 70 countries will compete across 18 sports.
Loughborough College’s Vasey and Greenbank are amongst six athletes making their Commonwealth Games debut.
O’Connor secured six medals at the 2014 Games in Glasgow, including gold in the 200m Individual Medley while Renshaw won two medals from four events. Both competed in Rio 2016 with O’Connor becoming the first British female to win an Olympic medal in the 200m individual medley after surging to silver and smashing her own British record.
Fellow alumna Lizzie Simmonds represented Britain at the Beijing Olympics and this will be her third Commonwealth Games. At the 2017 British Swimming Championships earlier this year Lizzie achieved her fastest 100m backstroke time since 2010. She will be competing in the 100m and 200m backstroke in Australia.
Seventeen further places will be awarded following qualification at the Swim England National Winter Championships in December.
Team England is expected to take a squad of around 600 athletes and staff to the Games – the largest ever team to represent the nation in an overseas event.
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.
“We also have a number of new athletes that will be taking the step up and experiencing a multi-sport event for the first time.
“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.”
Former Loughborough College student Siobhan-Marie O'Connor wins Silver in the Women's 200m Individual Medley Final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games ( Vaughn Ridley/SWpix.com)