Sport Climbing Speed had its first qualification event of 2023, which was the IFSC Climbing World Championships (Speed) in Bern (Switzerland) from 1-12 August 2023. The event took place at the PostFinance Arena, home since 1967 of sixteen-time Swiss ice hockey champions SC Bern. The sport has a men’s and women’s event, with the top two athletes earning a spot in Paris.

Matthew Fall was making his World Championship debut, while Rafe Stokes was doing the same after hitting a British record earlier in the year. The top sixteen would escape qualification, with each athlete getting two attempts (the fastest attempt counting). Stokes was the better Brit, coming 35th in 5.67, while Fall managed 67th in 7.33. The United States’ Zach Hammer was the slowest qualifier in 5.38.

On the women’s side, no Brits entered. The next chance to qualify in this sport would be the European Qualifier in Rome (Italy) from 15-16 September 2023.

The first qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympics took place in the sport of Sport Climbing Boulder and Lead, which has one event each for men and women. The first three places for both events was decided at the IFSC World Climbing Championships (Boulder & Lead) in Bern, Switzerland (1-12 August 2023).

The event was held at the PostFinance Arena, which has been used by Swiss top-tier ice hockey side and sixteen-time national champions SC Bern since 1967.

Five Brits entered on the men’s side. Jack MacDougall had recently gotten his first senior medal in the European Boulder Cup, while Hamish McArthur was a 2021 World bronze medalist in the Lead category. Maximillian Milne had some World Cup medals to his name, while James Pope was an experienced performer. Toby Roberts also had two World Cup golds to his name.

The top twenty would go through from qualification, and Roberts led the way of the Brits in thirteenth with a 550.0 (170 on the Boulder and 380 on the Lead). This was enough to beat France’s Manuel Cornu, in 21st, who posted a 240.0. The other Brits didn’t advance, with MacDougall’s 224.0 enough for 22nd: after an impressive 220 on the Boulder, he only managed four points on the lead. McArthur’s 94.0 (64/30) put him 35th, Pope’s 46.0 (6.5/39.5) was enough for 41st, and Milne’s 21.5 (11.5/10) enough for 49th. The man on the brink was the United States’ Colin Duffy on 280.5.

In the semis, twenty would become eight, but Roberts put up a 164.7, with a decent 64.7 in the boulder followed by a perfect 100 in the lead to go second, way ahead of Frenchman Mejdi Schlack in ninth on 125.9

So to the final, where Roberts improved his bouldering to 79.3 with 3T3hz4lz 9 5 5 (hitting the most tops overall, but five of them in his second go). This though was a bit off the pace with the rest of the field, and a 64.1 in the lead just put his score to 149.1, enough for fifth, but behind the 156.7 of Japan’s Tomoa Narasaki that was necessary for a medal.

On the women’s side, a smaller team of two went to Bern, with youngster Erin McNeice making her World Championship debut, and Molly Thompson-Smith has a World Cup medal to her name. A 185 bouldering and 380 with the lead gave Thompson-Smith a total of 565.0 in the qualifiers, enough for eleventh ahead of France’s Hélène Janicot and the Korea Republic’s Seo Yejoo in joint twentieth on 248.4 (both qualified). McNeice managed 35th with 73.66 (68.0/5.66).

Bouldering was a struggle for most in the semifinal, and for Thompson-Smith there was no exception, with a score of 24.6. 54.1 in the Lead was enough for 78.7 and twelfth, not enough to beat South Korean Kim Jain’s 91.1 in eighth.

The next chance would come in the European Continental Qualifier, in Laval (France) from 26-29 October 2023.

The next Archery qualifier to the Paris Olympics took place in Berlin, Germany, with the 2023 World Archery Championships (28 July-6 August 2023).

Five events take place in Archery: a Men’s and Women’s individual and team event, and a mixed team event. Qualifying a team allows all three in the team to enter in the individual event, otherwise one individiual per NOC is allowed. If at least one man and one woman qualifies from an NOC, then they will also have the maximum one place in the mixed team automatically.

In the team events, three of the eleven places (plus one host) are earned at the World Archery Championships. The British team consisted of 2022 U21 European champion Monty Orton, several time World Cup medal-winner Alex Wise, and 2020 Olympian James Woodgate. The trio put up 1932 (70 10s, 27 Xs) in the ranking round, earning a seed of 22: the top 24 advanced, with Bangladesh hitting 1930, the difference between success and failure.. Thus, their first round encounter would be against Japan. Japan took the first set 53-50, and the second was shared 52-52. GB levelled it up in the third set with a 57-56 win, and the fourth set was tied at 54-54 to set up a tiebreak. Japan won the tiebreak 27-26, giving them a 5-4 win and knocking out the Brits. The next chance for the British team will be the 2024 European Archery Championships (Essen, Germany, 3-5 May 2024).

The top three in the individual competition also got a guaranteed place. In the seeding round, the top 104 would advance: Woodgate was the top-seeded Brit with 652 (29 10s) enough for 47th, and 650 (23 10s) put Orton 56th. Wise was 108th with 630 (18 10s). The 632 of Portugal’s Luis Gonçalves was the cut-off, with Lithuanian Modestas Šliauteris eliminated for hitting 631. In the first round, Orton found himself against Chinese Taipei’s Tai Yu-husan. Orton took the first set 28-26, but after hitting four in the second set never truly recovered. He lost that set 23-20, and Tai took the next two 27-25 26-23 to round off a 6-2 win. Slovenian Den Habjan Malavasić was Woodgate’s opponent. Habjan Malasavić went up with 29-27 and 24-23 (a 5 costing Woodgate in Set 2), but Woodgate responded 29-28 25-23. In the final set, a 10 from the Slovenian gave him the win, 27-26, to take the tie 6-4.

On the women’s side, the team was made up of Penny Healey, who has some World Cup wins to her name, Louisa Piper, who has an impressive medal haul at youth level, and two-time European Games champion, and 2019 World bronze medalist Byrony Pitman. They hit 1925 in the seeding round, getting 9th: Canada’s 1830 was the cutoff. Thus, they faced Malaysia in the first round, and won in straight sets: 56-50, 54-51, 51-49 for a 6-0 win. Thus, it was France in the second round. The French took an early lead, 56-51, but GB fought back 57-55 52-50. France took the final set easily, 57-50, so it went to a tiebreak: which the French won 29-25 to win 5-4.

In the individual event, Healey was fifth with 664, Pitman eighth with 657. She won a shoot-off against Denmark’s Kristine Dantsrup Andersen for the rank, both shot nines put Pitman’s was slightly better. Piper was 90th with 604 (14 10s, 6 Xs): she was level with Moldova’s Alexandra Mîrca but lost a coin toss for 89th. The cutoff point was shot by Azerbaijan’s Yaylagul Ramazanova: 592 points with six tens. Pitman and Healey both got byes from the first round, but Piper had to face Taiwanese athlete Kuo Tzu Ying. Kuo went ahead with a 27-26 win, with the second set tied 26 apiece, and a four costing Kuo to give Piper the third set 23-21. Piper went ahead with a 27-24 win in the fourth set, and a 25-25 tie in the final set was enough to wrap up a 6-4 victory.

Pitman and Healey also had byes through the second round, while Piper faced Žana Pintarič of Slovenia. Piper took the first sets 23-22 24-21, but Pintarič’s generosity ended there, taking the next set 27-20 and the fourth 29-22. A three for Piper in the final set confirmed a 26-20 loss and a 6-4 departure from the tournament.

In the third round, Pitman faced Italy’s Chiara Rebagliati. A three from Pitman put her behind as she lost the first set 22-19, before some the Italian showed a clinical nature, taking the next sets 28-26 28-24 for to dispatch Pitman 6-0. For Healey, it was Ukrainian Veronika Marchenko, who started perfectly, taking the first set 30-27, and the next 25-21, helped by a four from Healey. But the Brit battled back with wins of 27-25 and 28-27, and held her nerve to win the final set 26-25 and take the match 6-4.

The fourth round had Healey as the sole Brit, against the American Casey Kaufhold. Healey roared into the lead with a 29-24, but Kaufhold equalised thanks to a 28-27 win in the second set. The American then closed the margin of error, and took the game 6-2 thanks to wins of 26-24 and 28-27.

In the hierarchy, the next competition for individual athletes is the 2023 European Games, which already took place. No man medalled for GB, but Penny Healey did win gold to guarantee a place. The next chance for Britain’s men will be the 2024 European Continental Qualifier Tournament (Essen, Germany, 3-5 May 2024).

Swimming had its first direct qualification event in the form of the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan (14-30 July 2023). Great Britain’s first relay team qualified with gold in the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay.

The individual swimming events, which is to say the majority (28 of 35) only have indirect qualification: for a nation like Great Britain, it is a case of meeting the Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) at one of the many sanctioned events, and you’re there in most events, subject to the maximum limit of two per NOC. GB continue to make good progress to that end, and a full update will be posted on this blog at the conclusion of this process: the deadline is 23 June 2024.

On the relay side, things are different. There are seven relays at Paris 2024: a 4x100m and 4x200m Freestyle Relay for both genders, and a Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay. For this, there can be one team per NOC per event, and sixteen teams per relay. The top three teams qualified directly the 2023 Worlds, while the top thirteen times achieved either at this event (in the prelims or finals) or the 2024 edition in Doha, Qatar (2-18 February 2024) will fill the grid.

Starting with the Men’s 4x100m Relay, GB went with Lewis Burras, who won Commonwealth Games silver for England last year, Matt Richards, a European silver and bronze medallist in this event, Jacob Whittle, who was on the same European squad as Richards and the same English Commonwealth Games squad as Burras, and Duncan Scott, 2020 European silver medallist. All have impressive medal hauls in individual and other events too. The top eight would advance from the heats, with GB in Heat 2. They would have been the fastest team, but were disqualified as Whittle jumped just 0.04 seconds early. This was a reprieve to Israel, whose national record 3:14:03 was promoted to eighth as a result and they qualified instead. Therefore, GB will have to be more careful and put in a good time in Doha.

In the 4x200m, Joe Litchfield opened for GB: he was on the team that got world silver last year. 2020 Olympic, 2015 world, and 2018 European champion Scott was also there, as was 2020 Olympic and 2018 European champion Tom Dean. Richards, also on the 2020 Olympic winning squad, was the final leg. Placed in heat 2, the team were second in their heat, and fourth overall, in 7:06.20: Japan’s 7:08.70 was the time to beat. So to the final, with a new order: Scott and Richards first, then 2020 Olympic, 2015 and 2017 world, and 2020 European champion James Guy, followed by Dean. After the first leg, Germany had an early lead but Scott had put our team in second, with not much distance to the chasing pack. At the half-way stage, Richards had put us ahead of the United States in second. Guy was nearly caught at the end, but gave Dean a slender lead over the Americans. It was GB, US, Australia for the medals, with Germany fading, and it was soon becoming clear Australia were going to settle for third. But despite Kieran Smith being on his shoulder the whole race, Dean came home to give GB the gold in 6:59.08. The team we needed to beat were France in 7:03.86, and Britain were confirmed a place at the Games.

For the medley relay, Oliver Morgan, who won three British titles in 2023 for England in individual backstroke led off, followed by 2019 World, 2018 and 2020 European, and (for England) 2014 and 2022 Commonwealth Games champion James Wilby. Guy, who was on all five of those teams as well, was third, with 2020 European and English 2022 Commonwealth Games champion Dean on the final leg. GB were in heat 3, and were second in the heat in 3:33.27. However, this was the slower heat, and GB squeezed in in eighth, just ahead of Italy in 3:33.54. For the final, Morgan and Wilby reprised their roles, but 2018 European and 2022 English Commonwealth Games champion Jacob Peters was third, with multiple-times relay medallist Richards last. With the US miles in front, Morgan had GB third after 100, and Wilby maintained this. However, France improved in the third leg, and we were in fifth with one leg to go. Richards mounted a comeback, but GB still came fifth in 3:30.16: Australia’s 3:29.62 was needed for third.

On the women’s side, the 4x100m freestyle relay started with 2020 and 2022 European champions Anna Hopkin and Lucy Hope. 2020 European champion Abbie Wood and 2020 and 2022 European champion Freya Anderson were also present. Placed in Heat 2, GB came fourth in their heat in 3:35.98, which was also fourth overall (Italy’s 3:37.93 was the time to beat). In the final, the same team went, and Hopkin had us fourth after the first 100. With Australia way ahead of anyone else, it was a close race between GB, Sweden, China, and the US for the other medals at the midway stage. However, both Sweden and Wood faded in the third leg, and despite a strong final leg by Anderson, a national record 3:33.90 was not enough for a medal, only fourth: China set an Asian record 3:32.40.

In the 4×200, 2022 European runner-up Freya Colbert led for GB, followed by England’s 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Wood. Medi Harris, also a 2022 European runner-up was third, followed by 2020 European champion Hope. Placed in Heat 1, GB came home in 7:51.13, second in the heat and third overall, and safely clear of Japan’s 7:57.22. The order for the final was Colbert, Hope, Wood, Anderson: Anderson is a 2018 and 2020 European champion. Again, Australia were way out in front (they set a world record in both races), but Colbert had us fourth after 200, not far behind China or the US. At halfway, the US were closer to Australia than the chasing pack, with GB in fifth: Canada had joined the race for bronze. Wood had dropped off the Chinese a bit with the final leg, and Anderson couldn’t find enough to plug the gap, with 7:46.63 enough only for fourth: China’s time 7:44.40.

In the medley, our team was led by Lauren Cox, who won Commonwealth Games bronze for England in 2022. Kara Hanlon, who won two British titles for Scotland in the individual breaststroke went second, while 2020 European champions Laura Stephens and Hopkin finished the roster. GB were in Heat 3, and came home in 3:58.95, fast enough for fourth in the heat. But this was the slower heat, and the time was only enough for ninth, just behind Japan’s 3:58.58. Though Cox and Hopkin were faster than their Japanese counterparts, Hanlon and Stephens were just a bit slower and that was the difference.

In the mixed relay, 2022 European bronze medalist Harris, 2019 World, 2022 European and for England 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Wilby, 2022 European bronze medalist Peters, and 2020 Olympic and European champion Hopkin, lined up in Heat 4, and came home in third in 3:43.47, enough for fifth overall. The team was the same in the final: four countries had male starters, but GB were 7th after the first 100, so work to do even with this in mind. All teams had male breaststrokers, and again GB were 7th, significantly behind Australia, who had also gone female-male. Even after Peters’ run we were fifth, and only Canada had a male freestyler. China seemed miles ahead, with the US and Australia the only team hoping for medals, and so GB came home in fifth, in 3:43.20: the Americans’ time of 3:40.19 was the benchmark.

Great Britain therefore have a guaranteed spot in the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay, but good times in most other events to build on in Doha, apart from the Men’s 4x100m, where avoiding the DQ is hugely important in Qatar.

In Water Polo both Men’s and Women’s qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics formally got underway with the 2023 World Aquatics Championships (Fukuoka, Japan, 14-30 July 2023). The event was held in the Marine Messe Fukuoka, opened for the 1995 Summer Universiade, where it was used for gymnastics, as well as the volleyball finals. It was also used for the 1999 Asian Basketball Championship where China PR beat the Korea Republic 63-45 to qualify for Sydney 2000, the 2001 edition of this same championships (notable for Australian Ian Thorpe breaking four world records), and the early stages of the 2006 Men’s Volleyball World Championship, won by Brazil. The top two teams in each gender would qulaify for Paris.

On the men’s side, sixteen teams qualified for the event. The first would be hosts Japan, with two coming from the 2022 World League (which GB did not enter qualifying for). The top four in last year’s Worlds would also qualify, and GB did not qualify for that either. Three came from the European Championship, which GB also did not bother entering qualifying for, and the rest came from the other continents.

On the women’s, the system was basically the same for sixteen teams: the hosts Japan, two from the World League (GB didn’t enter), four from last year’s Worlds (GB didn’t qualify), three from the Euros (GB didn’t enter), the rest from the other continents.

However, despite water polo being dormant for years, it seems like British Swimming have decided to at least have a go at having a national team. According to their website, a body called the GB Water Polo Leadership group published a ‘framework’, and both the men’s and women’s teams have started playing again in 2022 and 2023.

It should be noted that in Paris, the men’s tournament has twelve teams, and the women’s has ten, so there are slightly different paths. On the men, as well as the two Worlds teams, hosts France qualify automatically, and then there are five continental championships. The qualification procedure still lists the hosts as Tel Aviv, Israel, and the date as 7-21 October. However, to save money it was moved to Netanya and to January, as then teams could go straight from there to Doha for the 2024 Worlds, thus leading to one stoppage instead of two. After war broke out involving that country, it was moved to Croatia, split between Dubrovnik and Zagreb, from 4-16 January. As well as original hosts Israel, the top eight teams in the 2022 Europeans (which GB did not enter) and seven qualifiers will enter. And GB actually entered a team for their qualifying group in Istanbul. They got thumped 28-0 by Serbia, 19-2 by hosts Türkiye, and 17-7 by Slovakia, but it was a great thing that British water polo would at least be represented. The final four spots in Paris are from the 2024 Worlds in Doha, Qatar (2-18 February 2024), and GB entered qualification for that, with the World Cup qualifiers in Romania, losing 16-2 to the hosts, 12-9 to Ukraine, 9-7 to Malta, and 15-4 to Germany. European teams could also qualify through the 2023 Worlds or 2024 Euros, which GB missed both of, thus confirming that the British men won’t have a spot in Paris.

For the women, again 2 spots were decided in Fukuoka, and hosts France also qualify, and again the winners of five continental competitions would get through. This event was also moved from Tel Aviv to Netanya, and then later to Eindhoven (Netherlands, 5-13 January). With hosts Israel and the top seven in the last event also qualifying, GB entered qualifiers. And not only did they qualify, they did so flawlessly, with wins over Germany (13-5), Portugal (14-12), and Finland (27-2). Best of luck to them.

It is a good thing to see British Swimming support water polo, as we know that their support has been growing not just for swimming and diving, but for artistic swimming as well, and it starting to yield results on the women’s side.

The 2023 World Aquatics Championships (Fukuoka, Japan, 14-30 July) continued with the Marathon Swimming events. The top three men and women in both genders at the Seaside Momochi Beach Park would earn their ticket to Paris.

On the men’s side, the sole Brit was Hector Pardoe, who became the first Brit to win a junior medal in 2017 with bronze but did not finish in Tokyo 2020. He finished a respectable tenth, with 1:53:04.20. To get in the top three he had to beat German Oliver Klemet, who got a 1:51:00.80. Two Brits entered on the women’s side, with Leah Crisp having some British titles in the pool over 800 and 1500 metres, with Amber Keegan entering by virtue of an impressive World Cup performance. Keegan was the better of the two on the day, coming 18th in 2:03:30.30, with Crisp 24th in 2:05:03.50. American Katie Grimes was third, with 2:02:42.30.

The next chance for the marathon swimmers will be the 2024 event in Doha, Qatar (2-18 February 2024), where thirteen spots per gender will qualify.

The 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, held at the Fukuoka Prefectural Pool, were a qualifying event for Paris 2024 in Diving. In the four individual events (3m Springboard and 10m Platform for both genders), the top twelve would qualify, while in their four synchronised equivalents, the top three duos would: respecting the maximum NOC quota of two per individual event and one duo per synchro event. British pairs would qualify in three of the four synchronised events (missing just the Men’s 10m Synchronised Platform), with two Brits in the Men’s 10m platform, and one in the other individual events qualifying.

Starting with the men’s side, two Brits entered the 3m springboard. Daniel Goodfellow had won Commonwealth Games gold for England last year, and had some strong results in the synchro event too. Meanwhile, Jordan Houlden had won European silver in 2022. The top eighteen would advance from the preliminary round: Goodfellow found this simple with a total of 459.70 putting him second, miles ahead of the Korea Republic’s Woo Haram with 382.40 in 19th. A poor final dive scuppered Houlden’s chances, demoting him to 22nd on 368.55, behind Malaysian Tze Liang Ooi who’s 383.60 was the benchmark. The semifinals would cut this pool to twelve, and again Goodfellow sailed through, 477.20 enough for third: the Dominican Republic’s Jonathan Ruvalcaba the man to beat on 409.45. Goodfellow faltered in the final with a couple of mediocre dives, but his score of 438.05 was enough for sixth and a berth for GB in Paris.

For the 10m platform, Kyle Kothari, who had picked up three Grand Prix medals in 2017 joined 2022 European runner-up Noah Williams. Both Williams (4th with 435.15) and Kothari (6th with 423.70) easily made it through prelims, with Australian Samuel Fricker 19th on 370.35. Kothari was the better Brit in the semis, 5th with 475.60, just ahead of Williams in 6th on 450.65, with Spain’s Carlos Camacho del Hoyo in 13th on 399.10. Both challenged admirably for a medal in the final, but just missed out. However, Williams’ 4th (499.10) and Kothari’s 5th (497.35) were both more than enough for Olympic places.

In the synchro 3m springboard, 2022 World runner-up and European and (England) Commonwealth Games champion Anthony Harding joined 2016 Olympic, 2016 and 2022 European, 2021 World Cup and (England) 2014, 2018, and 2022 Commonwealth Games champion Jack Laugher, a man who is truly one of the greats. In synchro events, there would be no semifinal: the top twelve advanced from prelims. The pair came third in prelims on 383.46, way ahead of 13th-placed Austrians Alexander Hart and Nikolaj Schaller who managed a 341.16. They battled hard in the final, and although the Chinese pair faltered giving them hope, their last dive failed to impress and they settled for silver, with 424.62 enough to qualify them for the Games: Americans Tyler Downs and Greg Duncan’s 385.23 was the mark they needed to clear for that.

In the 10m synchro event, 2020 Olympic, 2020 European, 2021 World Cup, 2018 British and for England 2022 Commonwealth Games champion Matty Lee joined Williams, who also won Commonwealth Games gold for England in 2022 with Lee. They easily got through qualifying in second, with 429.18 way ahead of Greece’s Nikolanos Molvalis and Athanasios Tsirikos in 13th on 348.45. However, a few imperfections, particularly on the penultimate dive, cost them as they came 4th with a 419.82, just shy of Mexican duo Kevin Berlin Reyes and Randal Willars Valdez in 3rd on 434.16.

On the women’s side, and in the 3m event, 2022 European bronze medalist Yasmin Harper was joined by youngster Scarlett Mew Jensen, who had already competed at Tokyo 2020. In the prelims, Mew Jensen did enough for 10th on 288.60, with Australian Georgia Sheehan in 19th on 274.90. However, Harper didn’t recover from a poor first jump and ended up with 266.10 and 24th, behind Mexican Carolina Mendoza Hernandez in 18th on 276.15. Mew Jensen snuck through the semis in 10th again on 302.05: Mendoza Hernandez the woman to beat on 289.75. She managed ninth in the final with 299.10, enough to confirm her a place in Paris.

The 10m event, had seen GB’s Eden Cheng already win a spot at the Games through her victory in the 2023 European Games. This time we saw Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, the 2022 European, World Junior, and (for England) Commonwealth Games champion joined by 2015 European Games and 2017 European Diving champion Lois Toulson. Spendolini-Sirieix qualified easily in third with a total of 353.90, while Toulson was twelfth with a 293.50: Dutchwoman Else Praasternik’s score of 283.65 the benchmark. In the semis, though Toulson managed ninth with a 313.50, a couple of shoddy jumps meant Spendolini-Sirieix fell just short, with her 305.20 just losing out to German Elena Wassen’s 307.30. In the final, Toulson’s form varied but she got a respectable fifth on 319.30, enough to qualify for Paris.

Harper and Mew Jensen were the 2023 British champions in the 3m synchro and so joined forces in Fukuoka. 294.72 was more than enough to qualify, putting the pair third, with Brazilian duo Luana Lira and Anna Santos totalling 240.00 in 13th. In the final, the Brits were pretty flawless until a subpar final jump, and despite being miles behind the victorious Chinese pair, got a 296.58 and came second. With Americans Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook fourth with 285.39 (themselves dropping out of the medals with a poor final dive), GB had booked a place in Paris in this event too.

Finally, 2022 European Champion Spendolini-Sirieix and 2018 and 2022 European Champion Toulson linked up for the synchro 10m. 293.22 was enough for third in the prelims, where there were only twelve pairs anyway, making the exercise a bit pointless. In the final, again China were a cut above, but the British pair carried themselves excellently to come second with 311.76: Mexicans Alejandra Orozco Loza and Gabriela Agundez Garcia in 4th with 291.18. This meant GB had a place in this event too.

To recap, the Brits qualified a synchro place in the Men’s and Women’s 3m Platform, and the Women’s 10m Springboard. In the Men’s 10m platform, they will have to go again at the 2024 Worlds (Doha, Qatar, 2-18 February 2024), where the final four places are up for grabs. On the individual side, in the 3m platform (for both genders) saw Brits gain just the one spot, and with the continental event (the 2023 European Games) already gone, the final twelve spots up for grabs in Doha. In the Men’s 10m Platform, the maximum two spots were achieved, while in the women’s event, just the one spot was, but this is added to Cheng’s performance in Kraków to reach a maximum of two.

The first Canoe Slalom qualifying event was the 2023 European Games (Kraków, Poland) from 29 June to 2 July 2023. One place each would be available in four of the six events: the men’s and women’s Kayak and Canoe Single (K1 and C1). However, it would not be the top event in the hierarchy, with 15 (K1)/12 (C1) spots available at the World Championship in September. Therefore, the spots earned would be provisional. Ryan Westley would win gold in the Men’s C1, earning GB their first spot in the sport in Paris 2024.

Kraków, the home of the games, also was conveniently home to the country’s national canoe slalom arena: the Kolna Sports Centre. Qualification was automatic for any NOC that wanted to enter, with three athletes each. On the Men’s side, there were three entrants to the K1 event. Christopher Bowers has some individual medals at underage level, and also was part of the British team that won the world championship in 2018 and silver in 2022. Rio 2016 Olympic champion Joe Clarke was joined by Jonny Dickson, who like Bowers had some impressive performances at junior level. There would be two heats: in the first, the top 30 would advance to the semifinal. Dickson was the top Brit, picking up one two-second penalty at the eighteenth gate for a total time of 88.03 and 14th, while Clarke also advanced with two penalties at the fifth and sixth for a total time of 88.56, both comfortably ahead of Poland’s Michal Pasiut in 31st on 90.88. Bowers missed out, with one penalty on the fourth bumping his time up to 91.18, and a rank of 33nd, short of Italian Marcello Beda, who managed a 90.77. The athletes not advancing had to go into a second heat, where only the top ten would advance. Bowers this time had an unblemished run, with his time of 86.99 a significant distance to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Fedorenko on 91.26.

Only the top ten would advance to the final, and it was only Clarke that managed it. A penalty on the fourteenth bumped his time up to 92.29 and he squeaked through in tenth, ahead of Slovenian Peter Kauzer on 92.44. A full miss (50-second penalty) on the 17th scuppered Bowers, who got a time of 140.99, and Dickson had the same on the 12th to get a time of 142.92: thus landing the duo on 35th and 38th respectively.

To the final, and Clarke could have been champion if it wasn’t for a penalty on the first gate: his total time of 89.80 just short of Czechia’s Jiri Prskavec, who got an unblemished 88.21. It was enough for bronze for Clarke, and if a Czech and Swiss athlete got a place in September (as it was the latter’s Martin Dougoud who came second), then Clarke would claim the place from this event, presuming no Brit also qualified.

Three Brits also entered the C1 event. Adam Burgess came 4th in Tokyo 2020, and also had a European silver medal to his name from 2018. James Kettle had some junior team medals to his name, while 2018 European champion and World vice-champion Ryan Westley was also present. This time, in the first heat only the top twenty would go through. Westley would be the best Brit in fifth, with an unblemished 91.77, and Burgess in sixth would also avoid a penalty with a 91.97, both were way ahead of Pole Grzegorz Hedwig in 21st with a 96.24. Kettle picked up three penalties, on the seventh, ninth, and 20th, and his time of 100.23 was only enough for 28th, short of Germany’s Timo Trummer in 20th with 96.06. Thus, Kettle had to go through the second heat, where he was sixth with no penalties and a time of 95.20, well safe of Ireland’s Robert Hendrick in 11th on 99.64.

The top ten would advance from the semifinal, and Burgess was this time the best GB athlete, with a penalty-free 95.89 enough for second. Westley was also safe in sixth, with a slower but also unpenalised 99.21 enough for sixth, clear of Jules Bernardet of France in 11th who managed a 98.14. Penalties on the 10th and 12th put Kettle’s time up to 106.79 as he struggled to keep pace, and was short of Franz Anton on 99.98 in tenth: Kettle’s final ranking was 22nd. To the final, and Westley produced a masterclass, avoiding a penalty with a time of 94.01 seconds, beating Spain’s Miquel Trave (95.16) to gold. Burgess took a penalty on the sixth but was anyway behind with a score of 101.36 enough for seventh. This means Great Britain are guaranteed a place in C1 at the games.

On the women’s side, again starting with the Kayak, a three-strong team entered for GB. 2018 World silver medalist Mallory Franklin headed the team, alongside promising youngster Phoebe Spicer, who had team European medals at U23 level, and 2021 World bronze medalist Kimberley Woods. The top twenty would advance from the first heat into the semifinals. Woods was the top Brit, with penalties on the sixth and fourteenth putting her time up to 97.83, enough for eighth. Franklin wasn’t too far behind, with a slower but unblemished time of 98.23 putting her in eleventh. This was clear of 21st-placed Dutchwoman Lena Teunissen. Spicer picked up penalties at the sixth, seventh, tenth and fourteenth, putting her 33rd with a score of 112.28, short of Ukrainian Viktoriia Us in 20th (101.15). Spicer did enter the second heat, and despite penalties at the seventh, ninth, and eighteenth, her time of 106.36 was still enough for seventh, ahead of Italian Chiara Sabattini in eleventh on 109.77.

The top ten would go through from the semis, and a sole penalty at the fourteenth wouldn’t stop Woods from a time of 103.79 and seventh. Franklin also picked up one at the sixth, but her time of 103.83 was enough for eighth. Both were just clear of eleventh-placed Monica Doria Vilarrubla on 104.94. Spicer also just picked up one penalty (at the eleventh), but a slower progression gave her a total time of 108.82, short of German Ricarda Funk in tenth (104.86). The two Brits that did make the final didn’t challenge: Woods picked up a penalty at the fourteenth and came seventh (107.52), while Franklin picked up one at the tenth and another at the fifteenth for joint-eighth (107.93), both a way behind the victorious Funk on 99.09. As well as the German, athletes from Czechia, Poland, Slovenia and Austria also finished ahead of Woods, so these five countries would need to pick up spots in September if no Brit did.

A familiar cast showed up to the Canoe event. Franklin was a silver medalist at Tokyo 2020 and the 2017 World Champion, while Sophie Ogilvie has a 2022 team World bronze medal. Woods is a 2015 and 2017 European champion in this event.

The top twenty would advance from the first heat, and despite three penalties (on the fourth, eleventh, and twentieth gate), Franklin was seventh with a 105.78. This was ahead of Ukrainian Viktoriia Dobrotvorska in 21st, who managed a 112.81. Ogilvie picked up penalties in the sixth and 13th, demoting her to 23rd, short of Us in 20th (112.42). Woods also picked up two penalties, on the ninth and eleventh, giving her a 120.31 and putting her down in 31st. The top ten would go through from the second heat, and despite penalties at the first and sixteenth, Woods would top the list with 106.49. This put her ahead of Andorran Laura Pellicer Chica in 11th on 117.19. Ogilvie picked up five penalties, on the sixth, eighth, fourteenth, eighteenth, and twentieth, with a score of 124.16, fifteenth, putting her short of Ireland’s Michaela Corcoran (117.04). The top ten advanced from the semis, and Woods just managed it, with a penalty in the eighth giving her 115.36, enough for tenth, just ahead of Slovakia’s Sona Stankovska on 115.86. Woods was 22nd with penalties on the 5th and 8th and a total of 123.66.

Woods was the fastest in the final, but penalties on the 7th, 14th, and 20th gave her a time of 113.63, enough for bronze behind German Elena Lilik on 109.67. With home favourite Klaudia Zwolinska taking silver: if GB missed out in September, and Germany and Poland didn’t, this would be enough.

British athletes could look forward to a World Championships on home soil in London, from 19 to 24 September.

As this blog returns on the eve of the New Year, a chance to look back at some of the qualifier events, beginning with the Breaking compeition in the 2023 European Games, where no Brits qualified.

The Games took place from 21 June to 2 July in Kraków (Poland), with the Breaking event an Olympic qualifier for Paris 2024. The event was held not in Kraków itself but the nearby city of Nowy Sącz, in the newly redeveloped Strzelecki Park. The winner in both the Men’s and Women’s (or to use Breaking parlance, B-Boys and B-Girls) event would earn a spot.

Great Britain entered two B-Boys, but noone in the B-Girls event. Sunni and Kid Karam were therefore the first Brits to ever try their luck in Olympic qualification for this sport.

Two-time UK Champion Sunni, who placed 17th in the European Championships in 2023, and 20th in the World Championships a year earlier, was put in Group B. He started with an easy win over Belgium’s Lucky, with a unanimous victory in the first round and then taking seven judges to two in the second. In the second game, he was trounced by the Netherlands’ Menno, taking just one judge in the first round and losing unanimously in the second. It all came down to a final game against Poland’s Wigor, but he narrowly lost both rounds: the first one 5-4, and the second 6-3. With only the top two in the group going through, Sunni was eliminated.

UK Champion Kid Karam was 32nd in the 2022 World Championships but was a runner-up in the 2022 Europeans, and came 9th in the 2023 edition. He opened his Group C against Dutchman Lee, but lost both rounds 7-2 to fall to an early defeat. His next match was against Norway’s Exaggerate. He won the first round 6-3, but lost the second 5-4, counting as a narrow victory, with the tiebreak being judges’ total votes (10-8). Another Norwegian was next in the form of Daniel, who Kid Karam got past with a 7-2 win in the first round and a 6-3 in the second. Thus, he managed to squeak into second. He would face Menno in the quarter-finals, but the Dutchman triumphed 6-3 and 7-2.

Thus, the next chance for British “B-Boys” (and B-Girls) would be the WDSF World Championship in Belgium in September.

Great Britain’s qualifying in Poland kept coming with medals in both events in Modern Pentathlon.

The top eight athletes (one per country) in both men’s and women’s events would qualify for the Olympics. The 2023 European Games (Kraków, POL, 25 Jun-1 Jul 2023) at the AWF (Academy of Physical Education) Stadium.

Four Brits entered in the men’s event. Charles Brown reached the semifinal stage in the World Cup semifinal, while Joe Choong is the reigning Olympic champion and had won gold in European championships before in Bath 2019 (this event doubled as the European Championships as well). Samuel Curry has some decent performances at World Cup level, especially as part of a team, while Myles Pillage had three European golds as part of a team.

In qualification A, Choong and Pillage needed to be in the top eighteen. In Fencing, Choong won 18 bouts to get 236 points, while Pillage won 16 to get 222. In Swimming, Pillage was faster, with 1:53.72 (323 points), with Choong in 1:56.94 (317). In the Laser run, Pillage came home in 10:50.3 (650 points), with Choong getting 10:59.4 (641). Therefore, Pillage was eighth with 1195 and Choong thirteenth with 1194, ahead of Spain’s Aleix Heredia on 1179 in nineteenth.

Brown and Curry were in qualifier B. Both won fourteen fencing bouts for 208 points. However, Brown was the quicker swimmer, with 1:57.40 (316 points), and Curry in 2:00.48 (310). In the Laser run, Brown’s 10:33.7 was enough for 667 points, enough for second with 1191, clear of Türkiye’s Tolga Topaklı in nineteenth on 1161. However, Curry’s 11:08.2 was enough for only 632 points, enough for 1150, short of Vital Müller of Switzerland in eighteenth on 1175.

Choong and Pillage advanced to Semifinal A, and had to be in the top nine. Choong won 22 fencing bouts, with Pillage winning 21, and neither getting any bonuses, for a total of 235 and 230 points respectively. Pillage was the faster swimmer however, coming home in 1:58.32 (314 points) compared to Choong’s 1:59.62 (311). Pillage was faster in the laser run too, with 10:45.7 (655), and Choong in 10:49.2 (651), thus Pillage was sixth on 1199 and Choong ninth on 1197, ahead of Hungary’s Mihály Koleszár in tenth on 1191.

Brown was the only Brit in Semifinal B, and he won seventeen fencing bouts and three bonuses for a total of 216 points. 2:01.39 in swimming was enough for 308 more points, and a 10:14.4 in the laser run earned 686 points and 1210 in total for second, ahead of Christian Zillekens of Germany in tenth on 1201.

Therefore, Brown, Choong, and Pillage were all in the final. Choong was the best fencer, with 22 wins plus a bonus for 237 points. Pilage won 21 bouts for 230, while Brown won 17 and a bonus for 212. In riding, Choong earned 292 points, Pillage 286, and Brown 280. In Swimming, Pillage was fastest in 1:56.18 (318 points), with Brown in 2:00.98 (309), and Choong in 2:01.57 (307). Choong was the fastest in laser run, in 10:05.7 (695), with Brown in 10:08.7 (692), and Pillage in 10:10.9 (690). Choong will have been disappointed with that laser run which cost him gold, but 1531 points was a silver medal that got him qualified. Pillage in fourth (1524) and Brown in eleventh (1493) were also ahead of Czechia’s Marek Grycz in fifteenth (1473), the man to beat once duplicates were taken out.

On the Women’s side, four Brits entered. Kerenza Bryson has won World Cup stages and came sixth at the final, with Olivia Green tenth in Ankara. Jessica Varley was 36th at that event, with Emma Whitaker thirteenth.

In the Qualification A, Bryson and Green were the Brits. Bryson was the better fencer, with twenty wins (250) to nineteen (243). However, Green swam quicker, with 2:16.21 (278), and Bryson in 2:23.70 (263). In the Laser Run, Bryson came through in 12:28.6 (552) and Green did so in 12:35.5 (545). Thus, Green was thirteenth in 1066 and Bryson fifteenth in 1065, ahead of Hungary’s Kamilla Réti in nineteenth (1042).

Varley and Whitaker were in Qualification B, with Whitaker the better fencer: Whitaker with fifteen wins (215) and Varley fourteen (208). Whitaker also swam faster in 2:15.76 (279) compared to 2:20.276 (270). Whitaker was also better in laser run, coming home in 11:30.1 (610) compared to 11:35.3 (605). Whitaker was ninth in 1104, beating Poland’s Oktawia Nowacka in nineteenth on 1084. However, Varley’s 1083 was only enough for twentieth, behind Lithuania’s Ieva Serapinaitė in eighteenth on 1096.

Bryson and Green were in Semifinal A. Bryson fenced better, with 21 wins (230) compared to eighteen for Green (215), with no bonuses. However, Green swam better, in 2:13.91 (284) and 2:21.91 for Bryson (268). In the laser run, Bryson was faster, with 11:27.7 compared to 11:27.9, both getting 613 points. Therefore, Green was safely through in fifth with 1112 points, and Bryson in sixth with 1111, ahead of Pole Natalia Dominiak in tenth with 1100.

In the other semi, Whitaker was the sole Brit, and she won twenty fencing bouts (and no bonuses) for 225 points. 2:17.91 in swimming was enough for 275 points, and 11:34.0 in the laser run was enough for 606 points. A total of 1106 was enough for seventh, beating Belgium’s Anaïs Eudes for 1102.

Three Brits in the final then: Bryson, Green, and Whitaker. Bryson fenced best, with 21 wins and a bonus for 232 points, with Whitaker earning 225 points for twenty wins and no bonus. Green won eighteen and a bonus for 217 points. In riding, Whitaker got 292 points, while Bryson and Green earned 286. In swimming, Green was fastest, with 2:14.35 and 282 points, compared to 2:17.43 and 276 for Whitaker and 2:22.59 and 265 for Bryson. In the laser run, Green ran 10:57.4 and 643 points, Bryson’s 11:06.3 got her 634, with Whitaker in 12:50.1 and 530. Thus Green got a bronze medal and a place in the games with 1428, with Bryson sixth on 1417, and Whitaker seventeenth on 1323. In fact, only eight countries were represented in the final, so the top performing Brit was guaranteed a place.

The next chance for other Brits to qualify (with two places per NOC) will be at the World Championships on home soil in Bath from 21 to 28 August 2023.