GB swimmers gear up for Games in Malta

The Great Britain women's swimming team (picture) have just completed a five-day training camp in Malta in preparation for the Commonwealth Games in Manchester next month.

The squad included four current world champions in the 4x200 metres freestyle relay, Janine Belton, Nicola Jackson, Karen Legg and Karen Pickering, whose winning time in Fukuoka, Japan, last July was 7:58.69.

Another notable member of the team also in Malta was backstroker Sarah Price, world record holder in the 200-metre short course event and also holder of the Commonwealth marks in all the long course races.

Other familiar names on the Olympic or European scenes who came to Malta are long distance swimmer R. Cooke, M. Marshall, M. Pedder, R. Brett, J. King, H. Earp, K. Sexton, K. Evans, H. Fox, S. Whewell, N. Brown, K. Hayward, J. Mullins and C. Saxby.

Commenting on the training camp at Tal-Qroqq's National Pool, Ian Armiger, one of the team's coaches, said it was a useful week for the girls.

"The excellent facilities, sunshine and hospitality made it all the more worthwhile in terms of physical and mental preparation. The team's morale is high, enhanced by this training camp. The girls have come along well in recent months and we now look forward to having a good haul of medals in face of strong competition especially from the accomplished Australians.

"We regard the Manchester Games as a high profile test which should give a further boost to our girls as far as rankings are concerned," said Armiger who, incidentally, also coaches the recent prodigy of British swimming, James Gibson, a European and Commonwealth record-holder in the 50 and 100 metres breastroke events.

The 29-strong group, including officials, was under the tutelage of Performance Director, Australian, Bill Sweetenham, formerly in charge of the team from Down Under.