Six Loughborough swimmers get England call-up for Commonwealths

OLYMPIC champion Adam Peaty will spearhead Tean England’s Commonwealth Games swimming squad with five Loughborough team mates also in the team.

Ten swimmers have been announced in the initial Team England selection, including Loughborough-based Adam Peaty, Anna Hopkin, Luke Greenbank, Max Litchfield, Abbie Wood and Molly Renshaw

Every one of the 10 reached at least one individual final at Tokyo 2020, they were also part of victorious relay efforts, with Peaty helping Britain’s quartet to a record-breaking triumph in the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay, which involved a brilliant anchor leg from Hopkin.

Three-time Commonwealth champion Adam Peaty said: “It’s always a privilege to be selected to represent my country and I’m so excited about a home Commonwealth Games, especially one that is so close to the area I grew up in.

“Having the home crowd in the stands supporting us gives me even more motivation to perform my best and inspire those people watching. I can’t wait to represent Team England again!”

Second-time Team England athlete Abbie Wood added: “Before, with the Gold Coast I was just very happy to be selected for the team. I am this time too, of course, but in 2022, I feel like I’m ready to race and get among all the racing.

“I’m in the middle of it now, I’m in the mix and I want to perform as well as I can in front of a home crowd, in front of my parents, who haven’t seen me race since I have stepped it up. It’s been a couple of years - maybe the last major meet they saw me at was the Commies, so it’ll be nice for them to be a part of it and for me to show them how far I’ve come.”

The England swimming team will be led at Birmingham 2022 by Mel Marshall, Head Coach for Team England a year on from a Tokyo Games that saw three of her athletes – in Peaty, Hopkin and Greenbank – on the Olympic podium.