Swimmer Siobhan-Marie O'Connor named in GB's 26-strong squad for Rio Olympics
Friday 24 March 2017 12:11, UK
Sky Academy Sports Scholar Siobhan-Marie O'Connor has been unveiled as part of the GB swimming squad to compete at the Rio Olympics.
The 26 athletes, including world and European champion Adam Peaty, secured their spots for Brazil following last week's National Championships in Glasgow.
Team GB will be desperate for the British swimmers to improve on a very disappointing home Olympics at London in 2012 where they picked up just two bronzes (Becky Adlington) and a silver (Michael Jamieson).
But hopes for the summer will be high with a youthful squad impressing over the last two years and scooping a record haul of medals at last year's World Championships in Kazan.
This will be the second Games for O'Connor, who also won bronze in the 200m individual medley in Russia last summer.
"I'm so excited to be officially selected for the Rio Olympics," the 20-year-old Sky Academy Sports Scholar said.
"I am now on my Road to Rio. Having been a part of the team in London, I hope that the experiences I have from there will help me achieve the results I'm looking for in Rio.
"I've worked so hard for this summer and I'm excited that it's now official."
O'Connor was in dazzling form in Scotland for the Olympic trials. After booking her Rio spot with victories in the 100m freestyle and her favoured 200m individual medley, the Bath swimmer then eased home to win the 100m breaststroke.
Peaty and O'Connor will be joined by fellow world champion James Guy and world individual medallist Jazz Carlin as well as four members of the World Championship-winning men's 4x200m freestyle relay squad.
Mark England, Team GB's chef de mission for Rio 2016, said: "After some strong performances at the British Swimming Championships in Glasgow we are excited to welcome this talented group of swimmers onto Team GB for this year's Olympics.
"The athletes selected have shown that they are capable of producing performances at the highest level and among the ranks are world and European champions as well as athletes capable of swimming world-record times.
"This group has fantastic potential and I am excited about watching them compete for Team GB in Brazil."
GB swimming squad for Olympics: James Guy, Adam Peaty, Max Litchfield, Jazz Carlin, Siobhan-Marie O'Connor, Andrew Willis, Hannah Miley, Ben Proud, Chloe Tutton, Ross Murdoch, Stephen Milne, Robbie Renwick, Duncan Scott, Craig Benson, Fran Halsall, Molly Renshaw, Chris Walker-Hebborn, Tim Shuttleworth, Aimee Willmott, Eleanor Faulkner, Georgia Coates, Camilla Hattersley, Georgia Davies, Cameron Kurle, Ieuan Lloyd, Daniel Wallace
