Jessica-Jane Applegate included in Great Britain team for European Championships
Great Britain's Jessica-Jane Applegate on the podium with her gold medal after the Women's 200m freestyle S14 final at the London 2012 Paralympics. Picture: Chris Radburn/PA Wire. - Credit: PA Wire
Jessica-Jane Applegate will pull on her Team GB colours once again in April, after being named in the British Para-Swimming team for the IPC Swimming European Championships.
The Paralympic gold medallist, who swims for UEA City of Norwich Swimming Club, will be part of the 25-strong team which will compete in Madeira between April 27 and May 8.
Applegate, originally from Belton, near Great Yarmouth, has been chosen alongside fellow Paralympic champions Ollie Hynd and Josef Craig, as well as world champions Tully Kearney and Hannah Russell.
British Swimming's national performance director, Chris Furber, believes the event will offer a great opportunity for valuable long course racing ahead of the Paralympic Games in Rio, in September.
'This is an exciting team of youth and experience,' Furber said. 'More opportunities to race against international competitors is important as we move closer to the Paralympic Games.
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'Having five athletes making their senior international debut is great and it's going to be good to see them taking the step up to a new level. I know our more experienced athletes will be on hand whenever they need advice.
'For the likes of Ollie, Jessica-Jane and Jonathan the meet will give them the chance to race against some tough competition just four months out from the Games.'
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The event will follow hot on the heels of Paralympic trials in Glasgow for Applegate, which are being held between April 23 and 27.
The 19-year-old, who won S14 200m freestyle gold at London 2012, has an autism spectrum disorder. The former Ormiston Victory Academy pupil has already recorded the British qualifying times she needs to qualify for Rio but will need to repeat those performances in Glasgow to be sure of her place on the plane.
She is also the current S14 100m backstroke world champion and broke two world and two European records at the National Para-Swimming Championships in Manchester last month.
Applegate returns to the European Championships looking to improve on her performances in Holland in 2014, when she won silver in the S14 200m freestyle and bronze in both the S14 200m individual medley and the S14 100m backstroke.
