British juniors sample the Olympic lifestyle during Japan training trip

Six junior British swimmers have had a taste of the Olympic lifestyle after being selected for a 10-day training camp in Japan.

Freya Colbert, Mia Slevin, Michaella Glenister, Maisie Elliott, Lola Davison and Katie Shanahan enjoyed a ‘remarkable experience’ on the annual Japan Development Camp.

They visited the pool built for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and other tourist spots before embarking on a ‘hard and relentless’ training camp in Fuji.

Swimmers have been making the trip to Japan for a number of years since a partnership was signed between British Swimming and the Japan Swimming Federation.

They are selected by British Swimming to join the camp of around 60 swimmers and 30 coaches.

Team leader Grant Robins, who is also Swim England Head of Talent Swimming and was joined in Japan by coaches Jamie Main, of Derventio, and City of Glasgow’s Danielle Bryson, said: “We live and breathe the Japanese culture and lifestyle.

Embraced the culture

“We’ve been sleeping on futons and eating a typical Japanese diet. The Japanese speak very little English so this has added to the experience and challenged our swimmers by taking them out of their comfort zone.

“With most sessions pitched at about 6.5km to 8km long, it has allowed the swimmers to gain significant training benefits.

“It has been hard and relentless but has left all of them feeling accomplished – it’s excellent preparation for next year’s competitions.

“This is a truly remarkable experience that all the girls have taken on board. They’ve trained hard, embraced the culture and made some new friends. Memories for life through sport.”

Tim Jones, British Swimming’s Head of Elite Development, said: “We are always looking for innovative ways of developing some of our best junior talent.

“The training camp in Japan comes with a significant amount of challenge and discomfort, but is also a great opportunity to embed some of the skills we know are essential in successful senior athletes.”