Hope is realised as Jed swimmer Lucy joins GB Olympic squad

Jedburgh's Lucy Hope, a member of the Great Britain Olympic swimming team, during a Tokyo 2020 Team GB kitting session in Birmingham (photo by Karl Bridgeman/Getty Images for British Olympic Association)

The 24-year-old produced record-breaking performances at a succession of recent events – and it was well known that a place in the squad for Japan was among her principal targets.

Her consistency and brilliance paid off when it was announced last week that Lucy and team-mate Laura Stephens would complete a team of 30 swimmers confirmed for the games.

The pair were both part of the British line-up that enjoyed a record performance at the recent European Aquatics Championships in Budapest, with Edinburgh University athlete Lucy, of Jedburgh, picking up four gold medals across a host of relay events.

She is now preparing for her maiden Olympic appearance after showing superb form through selection trials, the European championships and a recent Glasgow meet.

Lucy, who started her career at Kelso Amateur Swimming Club, said: “It feels a bit surreal and has been a bit of a waiting game since the Europeans and the final qualifying meet in Glasgow, but to be named in the team means everything.

“The Olympics is the pinnacle of our sport and to be able to represent Team GB has been a goal and dream of mine since I was a little girl.

“I'm looking forward to the last little push in training, getting all the finer details right, before we head out in a few weeks’ time.

“I don't want to put any pressure on myself heading into the games, but I'm just going to trust in all my training over the last year and execute my race processes, then, hopefully, the outcomes will come.”

Chris Spice, British Swimming national performance director and Team GB swimming team leader, says he is delighted to welcome Lucy and Laura to the team, adding: “Their selection is just reward for some impressive swims over the last month individually and, most importantly, in our relays.

“They have shown incredible resilience to bounce back and get the job done. This epitomises one of the key traits of our 30-strong team. I’ve no doubt they, along with the rest of the team, will kick on again as we fine-tune our preparations for the games over the coming weeks.”