British swimmers selected for the final leg of the LEN Open Water Cup

September 23, 2022

Seven athletes have been selected to be a part of British Swimming’s squad for the fifth and final leg of LEN Open Water Cup in Barcelona.

The event takes place on 24 September in a competition that has given marathon swimmers a great opportunity to compete on a high level on a regular basis.

After a busy season for the senior athletes, the event gives a great opportunity for some of the younger swimmers to gain senior international competition experience as they target podium places at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.

The young team features a mix of junior internationals, those who have earned their first taste of senior experience in recent months, as well as some who are making their debuts at this level for the first time.

City of Leeds swimmer Kennedy Denby, Nova Centurions’ Livia Kingsland and Barnet Copthall’s Fleur Lewis all return to the squad after taking part in the fourth leg of the competition in July.

The event in Belgrade saw the trio all record top seven finishes with University of Swansea swimmer Joseph Deighan also returning to the squad after stepping onto the podium to claim bronze in Serbia.

Completing the team is Millfield’s Harry Hewitt, City of Leicester’s James Raw and Guildford City swimmer Madison Emment who will be looking forward to gaining valuable experience at international level.

‘A fantastic learning opportunity’

On the selection, British Swimming’s Performance Pathway and Distance Lead for Olympic Swimming Kevin Renshaw is excited to see how the young squad get on in Barcelona.

He said: “Our Barcelona LEN Open Water Cup team is a good mix of up-and-coming swimmers alongside those who have already started performing on the international stage.

“It’s an important competition for us as it allows for each athlete to test themselves at a time so early in the season.

“The senior swimmers have had a very busy summer and this is the first opportunity for the juniors to test themselves in a senior LEN Cup race.

“It will be a fantastic learning opportunity and we are looking for great attitude and awareness in their racing with the focus being on how they go about their business at this level.”

The event in Barcelona will be available to watch on LEN TV.