World champions Britta Steffen and Paul Biedermann head the German squad heading for the duel with Britain in Swansea on February 20-21. All will be in training periods that may well keep them from best on the clock but the pride at stake will surely make the challenge tight.
The meet will mark the first 2010 international outings for most of those selected for Britain and Germany and will mark the first time we have had a glimpse of Steffen since she claimed the sprint double in the midst of the Rome circus. Second to the Olympic champion in the 100m was Fran Halsall, among those who will be gunning for Steffen in the lead-up to London 2012.
Last week, Steffen withdrew from the 23rd Internationalen Schwimmfest at home in Berlin, a meet organised by her club SG Neukölln, and said to be ill. Likewise, training partner Benjamin Starke withdrew through illness.
At the helm of the British squad in Swansea are double Olympic Champion Rebecca Adlington, world champion Liam Tancock and Olympic medallists Jo Jackson and David Davies. Germany too fields what is practically its best possible team.
Britain:
Men:
- Matthew Clay
- Ross Davenport
- David Davies
- Daniel Fogg
- Jazmin Carlin
- Thomas Haffield
- Ian Hulme
- Andrew Hunter
- Antony James
- Michael Jamieson
- Robbie Renwick
- Joseph Roebuck
- Daniel Sliwinski
- Lewis Smith
- Liam Tancock
- Charles Turner
- Grant Turner
- Chris Walker-Hebborn
Women:
- Rebecca Adlington
- Charlotte Barnes
- Anne Bochmann
- Georgia Davies
- Jessica Dickons
- Francesca Halsall
- Georgia Holderness
- Joanne Jackson
- Caitlin McClatchey
- Louise Pate
- Elizabeth Simmonds
- Amy Smith
- Emma Smithurst
- Jessica Sylvester
- Lowri Tynan
- Aimee Willmott
- Katherine Wyld
Germany:
Men:
- Paul Biedermann
- Dimitri Colupaev
- Steffen Deibler
- Johannes Dietrich
- Toni Embacher
- Hendrik Feldwehr
- Christoph Fildebrandt
- Lucien Haßdenteufel
- Helge Meeuw
- Marco Koch
- Christian Kubusch
- Yannick Lebherz
- Johannes Neumann
- Tim Wallburger
- Felix Wolf
- Jan Wolfgarten
Women:
- Benjamin Starke
- Dorothea Brandt
- Jaana Ehmcke
- Isabell Härle
- Franziska Hentke
- Franziska Jansen
- Lena Kalla
- Silke Lippok
- Jenny Mensing
- Theresa Michalak
- Caroline Ruhnau
- Janne Schäfer
- Nina Schiffer
- Daniela Schreiber
- Britta Steffen
- Kerstin Vogel
- Alexandra Wenk
