Top swimmers head to Lanzarote for week long preparation camp

Some of England’s top swimmers recently took part in a week long training camp in Lanzarote to support their preparation for a packed calendar of events.

A number of Swim England Performance Squad members made up the majority of the 15 athletes that headed to the Canary Islands where they were supported by three coaches and a full sport science and medicine team.

The Barcelo Lanzarote Active Resort hosted the group as they focused on their preparation for April’s British Swimming Championships which play a key role in selection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The resort boasts an Olympic 10-lane swimming pool as part of the facility that is fully equipped to provide the athletes with everything they need for their race plans.

The coaches and swimmers tailored their training week around 13 sessions which they could undertake throughout the camp and take them home to use in their daily training environment.

Amongst those looking to fine tune their race preparation in Lanzarote was European U23 Women’s 200m Breaststroke silver medallist Lily Booker and Bath University’s Joshua Gammon who’s fresh from his triple crown of butterfly titles at December’s GoCardless Swim England National Winter Championships.

Team England’s Birmingham 2022 medallist Jamie Ingram and Luke Turley were also on the camp whilst Toby Robinson and Leah Crisp used the trip as part of their final preparations for next month’s World Aquatics Championships in Doha. The duo are amongst the British quartet competing in the open water events in Qatar which run from 3-8 February.

Supporting the athletes the best way we can

And with less than three months to go until the British Swimming Championships, Swim England’s head of performance, Richard Blackshaw explained the impact the camp can have on the athletes development.

He said: “This camp was designed so that we could take a closer look at these athletes and support them in the best way we possibly can as they begin what will be a major a year for the sport.

“It’s given the athletes the opportunity to train hard, while maximising their recovery and nutrition which is much easier to focus on when they have a full support team around them.

“The impact of the warm weather also allows for more extended and focused sessions so that they find the best structure for their training regime which they can then take back to their own training environments.

“Thank you to the group of athletes and support staff who really immersed themselves into the camp ethos.”