Paralympic World Cup
Dates: Wednesday 20-Monday 25 May
Coverage: BBC Two, Monday 25 May (1500-1700 BST) and the BBC Sport website

Simmonds is looking forward to returning to international competition

Double Paralympic gold medallist Eleanor Simmonds is among four Beijing champions named in the GB team for next month's BT Paralympic World Cup.

"I've done some cool things since Beijing but I've been training hard recently," said the 14-year-old.

Paralympic gold medallists Heather Frederiksen, Dave Roberts and Sam Hynd, will also be in action in Manchester.

The team of 16 British swimmers brought back 29 medals between them from Beijing last September.

Both Simmonds and Frederiksen broke world records in the S6 and S8 400m freestyle respectively at last month's British Swimming Championships in Sheffield.

Swansea-based Simmonds will be competing in the S6 100m freestyle where she will be up against fellow Briton Natalie Jones.

"I'm really looking forward to competing in Manchester and it'll be great to compete against some of the international girls again," Simmonds continued.

"I was amazed at the world record time I got at the National Championships and I'm really pleased. I'm in good shape and excited about having the opportunity to compete at such a high profile event in front of a home crowd."

Dave Roberts, who equalled Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson's haul of 11 Paralympic golds in China, will be competing in the S7 50m freestyle on his 29th birthday.

Roberts said, "Beijing was a fantastic experience, an unforgettable time in my life but I'm now on the start of a four year journey to London where I'm going to be greedy - I want to defend all of my titles!

The Paralympic World Cup is a great start to that journey and I hope to be in winning form to celebrate my birthday on top of the medal podium!"

Swimming is one of four sports in the Manchester competition with athletics, cycling and wheelchair basketball also taking place.

GB team

Eleanor Simmonds (S6 100m freestyle), Heather Frederiksen (S8 100m backstroke), Natalie Jones (S6 100m Freestyle), Charlotte Henshaw (SB6 100m breaststroke), Rachel Latham (S8 100m backstroke), Louise Watkin (S9 100m freestyle), Stephanie Millward (S9 100m freestyle), Rhiannon Henry (S13 100m butterfly)

James Anderson (S2 50m backstroke), Matt Whorwood (SM6 200m individual medley) Dave Roberts (S7 50m freestyle), Matt Walker (S7 50m freestyle), Jonathan Fox (S7 50m freestyle), Sam Hynd (S8 400m freestyle), Sean Fraser (S8 400m freestyle), Rob Welbourn (SM10 200m individual medley).

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version