HILLINGDON'S Karley Mann has been included in the British Gas GBR Swimming development squad to take part in the Flanders Speedo Cup in Belgium.


Mann, who won gold at the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games last year, has set her sights on qualifying for Rio 2016 and the Flanders Cup should provide an early test of her mettle.


The Hillingdon teenager is one of 48 swimmers, predominantly on the development programme, that will travel to Antwerp on January 19-20 to compete at the event.


Others that have been selected include World Junior Champion Rachel Kelly and European Junior Champions Joseph Patching, Elena Sheridan, Molly Renshaw and Matthew Johnson.


Olympians Liam Tancock, Fran Halsall and Amy Smith will also travel out with the team to race for the first time since they joined the National Sprint Group under Coach James Gibson.


Ciaran O’Brien, the Team Leader for the event says it will be a great way for the youngsters to blow away the Christmas cobwebs and focus on the new season ahead.


“We are travelling with a large team who will take a no compromise approach to the event, maximising the benefits of racing tough at this stage of the season as part of the preparation for opportunities and challenges that lie later in the year and throughout the quad cycle to Rio 2016,” said O'Brien.