Marathon swimmers announced for open water World Series

Jack Burnell, Alice Dearing, Phoebe Griffiths, Danielle Huskisson, Caleb Hughes and Toby Robinson will travel to Doha, Qatar, to swim the first open-water leg on March 17.

The second stage is on May 20 in the Seychelles, with Jazz Carlin competing alongside Burnell, Huskisson and Robinson.

Team leader Bernie Dietzig said: "Our marathon swimmers have come through a great block of early season training and are ready and keen to take on the first world cup of the season.

"Doha and the Seychelles are new races in the calendar for 2018 and we are anticipating large fields for both the female and the male races.

"Both races will be in the sea which always adds an environmental challenge our swimmers have to deal with.

"Whilst some of the swimmers are out there to race and gain some vital experience I am confident that we have the calibre swimmer on the team who can make it into the top rankings."

With Rio Olympian Burnell, European Championships bronze medallist Hughes and women's European champion in the 5km Huskisson on side, Dietzig is right to be confident.

Open water swimming is the longest Olympic distance, with no lanes separating the swimmers.

The FINA series is staged around the world in iconic locations, bringing the discipline's elite swimmers together in locations the host countries wish to showcase.

After Doha and the Seychelles, the competition continues across Portugal, Hungary, Canada, China and Taiwan, finishing in Abu Dhabi in November.

Sportsbeat 2018