Our Rio 2016 swimming team is complete! Keri-anne Payne and Jack Burnell have today been named as the two marathon swimmers who will represent Team GB at Rio 2016 as we hit 50 days to go until the Games.
Rio 2016 will be the first Games for Burnell, who earned his place after securing a named quota spot for Team GB with a fifth-place finish at the 2015 World Championships.
It will be a third Olympic Games for Payne, having won silver in the open water marathon swim at Beijing 2008 – where she also competed in the pool – and finishing fourth at London 2012.
Their inclusion in Team GB brings the total number of selected athletes for Rio 2016 to 130 from 11 sports – with 30 of those in aquatics disciplines following the previous announcements of 26 swimmers and two synchronised swimmers.
The selected athletes are:
Jack Burnell (Men’s 10km marathon) Keri-anne Payne (Women’s 10km marathon)
“Becoming an Olympian is the pinnacle of anyone’s sporting career and a privilege, and for me to get to that stage a year out from the Games has helped massively. Qualifying so early has enabled me to have a perfect preparation for my first Olympic Games," said Burnell. "It’s a massive achievement for everyone who has been involved in helping me to make the team but it’s not just about attending, it’s about being in Rio and getting the job done.”
Payne added: “To be on the Olympic team is an enormous honour and to do it for a third time feels like a huge bonus for me and my team. My vision was to stand on the starting line in Rio as the most well-rounded open water swimmer. We've taken a fun and unorthodox approach, I've loved it and looks like it has paid off.”