'Exciting' Team GB swimming team named for Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Seven Olympic champions and nine Olympic medallists are part of an exciting 33-strong team that will represent Team GB across pool and marathon swimming at this summer’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The team includes more than 20 English athletes which blends bags of experience with a number of Games debutants off the back of a stunning selection event at the Speedo Aquatics GB Swimming Championships in London.

Nineteen of the 33 selected rubber-stamped their automatic nomination in the capital, including three-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty, Tokyo Olympic champion Anna Hopkin and two-time world champion Ben Proud.

There will be nine pool swimmers diving in for their first taste of Olympic action at La Defense Arena in July, a sign of the conveyor belt of talent coming through Aquatics GB, including 2024 World Championship gold medallist Freya Colbert and backstroker Oliver Morgan, who broke the long-standing Men’s 100m Backstroke British record at the London Aquatics Centre as he builds towards individual and relay involvement in Paris.

Also amongst those making their debut is 17-year-old Eva Okaro, who impressed in the capital with two silver medals in the Women’s 50m and 100m Freestyle events. Honey Osrin, Alexander Cohoon, Medi Harris, Jonathon Marshall, Angharad Evans, Katie Shanahan and Keanna MacInnes are the other swimmers set to make their Olympic debut in Paris.

The depth of the team stands Team GB in good stead for several of those major relay contests, off the back of two golds and a silver in relay events in Tokyo, with much focus on this cycle going towards how our athletes can come together in those big moments on the Olympic stage.

Away from the pool, Leah Crisp and Toby Robinson make their Games debuts in this summer’s 10km events. They’ll compete alongside Tokyo 2020 Olympian Hector Pardoe – who clinched a stunning bronze medal at February’s World Championships – as Paris marks the first time since Beijing 2008 that Team GB will have three athletes contesting the marathon swimming races.

Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England said: “Team GB has a proud tradition in Olympic swimming competitions, and I am delighted to welcome all 33 athletes to the team for Paris 2024. The strength and depth of our pool swimming team was evident to see at the recent Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, and along with the ten swimmers making their debut for Team GB it is fantastic to welcome back seven Olympic Champions and nine Olympic medallists.

“I have no doubt the thrilling races we saw at the British Championships last week will be equally close fought. It is also fantastic to have three athletes contesting the marathon swimming races for the first time since 2008 and we’re excited to watch them all compete against the best in the world.”

Proven experience and exciting young talent

Speaking on the 33-strong team selected for Paris, Aquatics GB Performance Director Chris Spice – who will be swimming Team Leader at his third Olympics in a few months’ time – added: “This is such an exciting group of athletes that we will be taking to Paris this summer, coming off the back of a brilliant six days of racing at our Olympic selection event in the Speedo Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, featuring world-class finals performances, British records, plenty of personal bests and all of our athletes executing in the arena as we know they do so well. That is testament to the swimmers themselves, as well as the coaches and support staff working tirelessly in the background.

“On top of some outstanding individual swims, the collective displays showed that we are in a really good place across multiple relay events, which has been a key focus for us over recent years – and the depth that this team possesses is fantastic.

“As well as 12 Olympic debutants across the pool and marathon programmes, we will have five three-time Olympians and the valuable experiences of so many who were part of a memorable Games in Tokyo, so we cannot wait to see how this team comes together with the aim of swimming faster in the summer. We know each and every athlete can do that, and that would put us in a very good place in Paris, where we are relishing having packed crowds and plenty of British support roaring us on.”

Head Coach Bill Furniss said: “The swimmers have come through a tough selection process and earned the chance to show what they are capable of on the Olympic stage. We have a mix of proven experience and some exciting new talent, and our relay strength is encouraging in many events.

“The challenge for everyone on the team is to maximise the final months of preparation and produce their best performance of the season in the Olympic arena.”