Olympic swimmers chosen

The GB synchronised team trains in the Olympic Park Credit: ITV Meridian

The British Olympic Association has today named the nine synchronised swimmers selected to compete for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The selected athletes include Jenna Randall and Olivia Federici (nee Allison) who will compete in the duet event. London will be their second Games after finishing 14th at the last Olympics in Beijing. The other seven athletes selected, including Jenna’s younger sister Asha, will all be making their Olympic debuts.

This is the first time that Team GB will feature a full synchronised swimming team. The sport has enjoyed a successful rise up the world rankings since 2007, when the GB High Performance Centre was set up in Aldershot, with the duet and team both now ranked within the top ten nations in the world.

The selected athletes are:

  • Yvette Baker, Birmingham, 20

  • Katie Clark, Reading, 18

  • Katie Dawkins, Bristol, 23

  • Olivia Federic, Portsmouth, 22

  • Jennifer Knobbs, Aldershot, 22

  • Vicki Lucass, Yateley, 21

  • Asha Randall, Ascot, 22

  • Jenna Randall, Ascot, 23

  • Katie Skelton, Reading, 24

The addition of the synchronised swimmers brings the total number of athletes officially selected to Team GB for London 2012 to 76 across six disciplines: athletics – marathon, boxing, canoe slalom, sailing, swimming and synchronised swimming.

The athletes were formally nominated to the BOA for selection to Team GB by British Swimming, the National Governing Body for aquatics in the UK.

Team GB Chef de Mission Andy Hunt said:

“We are delighted to welcome a full complement of nine synchronised swimmers to Team GB for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The synchronised swimmers train incredibly hard and, under the expert guidance of Biz Price, have demonstrated consistent progress over the last four years.

“This group of athletes have recorded some impressive results in both the duet and team events recently and I am sure they will grasp the opportunity offered by the London 2012 Games with both hands and demonstrate their presence at the top table of the sport with their performances.”

Synchronised Swimming National Performance Director Biz Price:

“I’m pleased to confirm the nine athletes that we have nominated to take to the Olympic Games in London. It will be the first time that the country has fielded a full team to take part in both events. Since the opening of the High Performance Centre all of our athletes have been training for this Olympic opportunity and 2016.

“The nine athletes have worked really hard towards qualifying for the home Olympics and I know that this is an opportunity they will value and learn from.

“Jenna [Randall] and Olivia [Federici] will be competing at their second consecutive Olympics and their experience has helped the rest of the team deal with competing at high level international competitions.

“The Duet has improved their world ranking since Beijing and I am confident that they will put in a competitive performance in London. The Team has risen through the world rankings and I believe their hard work will pay off. Our Targets are set high based on our previous results and if we achieve them we will be well on track for 2016.”