Freya Anderson. All photos courtesy of British Swimming

Britain’s brightest swimming prospects will be looking to make a mark on the international stage when the 2018 European Junior Swimming Championships get under way in Finland today.

A 30-strong British team has travelled to Helsinki, where there is a big opportunity to force their way into contention for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Tim Jones, who is British Swimming’s Head of Elite Development, said: “2018 is an extremely important year for British Swimming. The second year of this Olympic cycle is one of our final opportunities to unearth some new talent ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games.

“In amongst our team, we have been able to name some familiar and experienced junior swimmers who have already successfully begun the transition into the senior ranks.

“We hope to be able to identify some more hidden gems at this event that can become potent forces on the British Team for many years to come.”

The championships run from July 4 to July 8, and we’ve featured five British swimmers to keep an eye out for over the next five days. These are the five swimmers pulling double duty this summer, representing Great Britain in both the junior and senior Europeans.

Freya Anderson

Helsinki will be Freya Anderson’s last competition as a junior, and she’s hoping to say farewell in style.

After a difficult year of injury problems, the reigning 100m freestyle world junior champion is already establishing herself in the senior ranks.

Anderson, 17, was part of the England 4x100m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay teams who won bronze medals at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games earlier this year. She’s also been named in the British squad for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships next month.

Race to watch: The 100m freestyle. Anderson’s qualifying time of 53.88 is nearly one-and-a-half seconds faster than her nearest rival. She’s also swimming in the 50m free and 50m butterfly.

Jacob Peters

Jacob Peters is another young swimmer who sampled a taste of medal success at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

It was his first senior call-up to Team England, and he reached the finals of all three men’s butterfly races before collecting a silver medal as a heat swimmer in the 4x100m medley relay.

Peters, 17, will also be representing Britain in August’s Glasgow 2018 European Championships, and he’s the defending 100m butterfly British champion.

Race to watch: The 200m butterfly. Peters will be swimming in all three butterfly distances, but it’s the 200m where he recorded the PB that earned his Commonwealth Games call-up. However he’ll face tough competition from Hungarian Kristof Milak and Italian Frederico Burdisso.

Emily Large

Emily Large is another British swimmer who won gold at last year’s World Junior Championships, leading from start to finish in the 200m butterfly.

The 17-year-old was another young call-up to the Commonwealth Games squad in April, and she reached the final of the 200m butterfly. She’ll also be racing with the seniors in Glasgow next month.

Race to watch: 100m butterfly. Large won the gold medal over 200m at the 2016 European Junior Championships in Hungary, but this time she’s concentrating on 100m and 50m.

Tom Dean

Tom Dean is a reigning British champion, winning his first ever senior title in the 200m IM at the 2018 British Swimming Championships.

His stunning swim in Edinburgh saw him win 1:59.88 – it was his first sub-two-minute swim and a full two seconds clear of the rest of the field. He followed that up with a British title in the 400m IM too.

Dean is also out defend his European title, having won gold at the 2017 European Junior Championships in Israel.

Race to watch: 200m IM. Dean has the fastest qualifying time in the 200m individual medley, and his 1:59.88 is the only one under two minutes. However, he’ll face tough competition from Italy’s Thomas Ceccon and a strong Russian contingent. Dean will also go in the 400m IM and the 200m freestyle.

Nick Pyle

Nick Pyle claimed his first British title at Edinburgh earlier this year with his impressive victory in the 50m backstroke.

A few months earlier, he set a new British age group record of 25.39 when he competed in the TYR Pro Swim Series in Austin, Texas.

Race to watch: 50m backstroke. Pyle is the third fastest qualifier in a very competitive entry list. He’ll also be competing over 100m and 200m.

EUROPEAN JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS – DAY 1