Saturday March 3,
Olympic Park Aquatics Centre
BBC One 1.30pm
Double Olympic and world champion Rebecca Adlington has repeatedly met claims that she’s a favourite for gold at London 2012 by pointing out the fact that she has yet to qualify for the British team.
Not to pile on the pressure, but the time has come when she can do just that. The British Gas Swimming Championships take place over the next eight days, doubling as selection trials for the GB Olympic and Paralympic swimming team. They will also be held in the very same pool where the medals will be won this summer, giving the Aquatics Centre in Stratford’s Olympic Park a taste of the drama to come.
Adlington, who won 800m freestyle gold at the 2011 World Championships, is joined by Jo Jackson (interviewed on page 38) and Britain’s two other gold-medallists from last summer – Liam Tancock (50m backstroke) and Keri-Anne Payne (10km open water).
While Payne was the first GB athlete to qualify for the Games by winning open water gold, she also harbours hopes of competing in the pool at London 2012. The 400m individual medley and 800m freestyle are the events she’s most likely to contest – the latter of which will put her in direct competition with close friend Adlington.
A maximum of two swimmers from each nation are allowed in each event, so both could make it. And with six current world medallists in contention for GB’s Olympic squad, it’s fair to say competition is spectacularly tough. Only the very strongest will make it through.
