By James Candy
World champion Matt Richards will headline a quartet of Welsh athletes who are primed and ready for the World Aquatics Championships 2024 in Doha.
The multi-sport event runs from 2nd – 18th February, and with Paris 2024 now less than six months away, the Doha World Championships provides a crucial opportunity for many looking to secure Olympic quota spots or build towards the Games.
Richards and Medi Harris will take to the pool in a bid to secure relay qualifications while continuing to build momentum as part of a 20-strong swimming team.
4️⃣ Welsh athletes across 3️⃣ aquatic disciplines are ready to take on the world at #Doha2024 🌍🇶🇦
Pob lwc i Matt Richards, Medi Harris, Hector Pardoe a Aidan Heslop! 💪
Read our preview and find out how to catch all the action 💻 https://t.co/a5epWi5QEd pic.twitter.com/VnfOlhJfBz
— Swim Wales (@SwimWales) February 2, 2024
Hector Pardoe is out to secure a return to the Olympic stage four years on from a difficult debut marred by injury, and Aidan Heslop will compete in the Men’s 27m event, as he looks to follow on from placing second in the Red Bull Cliff Diving series.
The primary focus for the GB outfit in Doha is securing relay team quota places for Paris 2024.
🏊♂️ Shropshire's @hector_pardoe is aiming to qualify for Paris 🇫🇷 Olympics this summer!
The Olympic marathon open water swimmer is competing in Doha at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships this weekend.
🇬🇧 It's also an Olympic qualifier.
📻 @BBCShropshire 96fm I DAB I Sounds pic.twitter.com/zqTA4uHywf
— BBC Sport Shropshire (@BBCShropSport) February 1, 2024
The team competing in Qatar has been selected in a bid to maximise the chances of ensuring those lanes are booked for July, as well as ensuring some valuable performance opportunities in the international arena for those involved, ahead of April’s British Swimming Championships – the selection event for the Olympic Games – and the Games themselves in July and August.
Pardoe will be the first Welsh athlete in the water as he takes on the 10km course on Sunday 4th February.
Pardoe – who was10th in the men’s 10km in Fukuoka and seventh in the overall World Cup rankings for 2023 – and third-time Worlds appearance maker Robinson will be in action.
The course is set for the #openwater competitions at World Championships🤩 Make your predictions 👇 #AQUADoha2024 pic.twitter.com/KozxbwyS2I
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) February 2, 2024
Team GB can still qualify two Olympic quota spots on both the women’s and men’s sides for the 10km events at Paris 2024.
The top 13finishers in Doha – notwithstanding the three medallists from each event at the last World Championships – will obtain a quota place for their National Olympic Committee.
Aidan Heslop’s World Championship debut in Fukuoka last year saw him complete the hardest dive ever competed at a Worlds event – and he ultimately just missed out on the podium after a strong showing.
He will again be in action in the Men’s 27m event, as he looks to follow on from placing second in the Red Bull Cliff Diving series.
The first two dives take place at the Old Doha Port on Tuesday 13th February, before the final rounds two days later.
Pob lwc @MediHarris 👍 https://t.co/Fb3yKaLmlr
— Byw'n Iach (@BywnIachCymru) February 2, 2024