Altitude training in Arizona for Loughborough swimmers

FIVE Loughborough swimmers are part of an 18-strong group which has travelled to Arizona for the next instalment of British Swimming’s altitude training programme.

The camp will see swimmers based at Northern Arizona University facilitated by Hypo2 High Performance Management Organisation in Flagstaff, Arizona from Janaury 5-26.

It will be an important preparation phase ahead of the British Championships at Tollcross, this April that is the sole qualification opportunity for the Gwangju 2019 World Championships.

National Centre Loughborough swimmer James Wilby will be looking to build on his breakthrough season in 2018 that saw him claim both European and Commonwealth titles.

Other swimmers heading west for three weeks of intensive training include Loughborough-based swimmers Jack Burnell, Molly Renshaw, Toby Robinson and Abbie Wood.

A spokesman said: “This is the sixth altitude camp of the Tokyo cycle.

“We have been incredibly encouraged by both the buy-in to this initiative by both athletes and coaches, but also the productiveness of each of the camps to date.

“We expect this Flagstaff camp to follow in a similarly positive vein, and set up a large group of our key athletes for the remainder of this key 2019 season.”