For four of our UK F-Teamers, the 2017 FINA World Championships will be their first time competing at the meet and they can't wait!  We caught up with Kathleen Dawson, Rosie Rudin, Abbie Wood and Charlotte Atkinson as they prepare to give it all they're got on the world stage.

Kathleen Dawson

19-year-old Kathleen Dawson has been making headlines over the past twelve months as she goes from strength to strength. The Scottish backstroker got a taste for the international stage when she competed at the World Short Course Championships last year. Kathleen was selected for the 2017 World Championships team after winning two silver medals in the 50m and 100m backstroke at the British Trials in April.

"My selection means a lot to me, it'll be my first major meet at this level of competition on such an experienced GB team so I'm really looking forward to seeing what I can do. I'm looking forward to the atmosphere and I'm revelling in the opportunity to race against the world's best swimmers and being able to prove that I'm amongst them," she says.

In the build between Trials and the competition, Kathleen missed out on travelling with Team GB to their May training camp in Thailand because she lost her passport! Instead, she stayed at home and focussed on improving her technical skills ahead of race day.

"My biggest focus has been to make sure that I'm in the best technical shape I can be. I'm also making sure that I don't get too caught up in the pressures of performing at such a big meet and just stepping back and remembering that I'm there to enjoy myself."

Rosie Rudin

When 18-year-old Rosie Rudin touched the wall first in the 200m backstroke at the British Championships in a time of 2:09.55, the swimming community stopped and paid attention. For the City of Sheffield swimmer, the title of National Champion and her selection to Team GB was a huge achievement and she had to pinch herself!

"It's a privilege to be chosen to compete for Team GB. I'm looking forward to competing against people from other countries, especially Aussie Emily Seebohm and Katinka Hosszú from Hungary. They've been huge inspirations to me growing up so competing against them will be exciting," she says.

With a short time between the Trials and the meet, Rosie has been taking advantage of the training camps in the lead-up.

"In May, we travelled to Thailand for a training camp and to Japan for the Japan Open. We'll be heading off to Rome soon too. It's great to be able to experience different cultures and it allows me to focus on my process goals that will be important in Budapest."

Abbie Wood

Gearing up for Team GB is 18-year-old Abbie Wood who will compete in the 200m and 400m Individual Medley. Her selection was a big achievement and not one she was expecting.

"It took me by surprise completely. It means a lot to me getting into senior swimming so soon after finishing junior swimming. This meet was always a target of mine but a big long shot and I think I surprised myself with the times I swam at the Trials. Being on the team is quite surreal and I feel very lucky to have been chosen as a wild card on the team."

Abbie's focus has been on ensuring there is consistency in her training, as well as working on the finer details.

"My pacing in a race is something I have been working on. I want to go fast in the first half of the race, switch to an 'easy speed' to then be able to back the race up with a good second half of the race."

Charlotte Atkinson

Last but certainly not least making her debut on the World Championships team is Charlotte Atkinson who surprised the crowd when she dominated the 50m (26.81) and 200m (2:07.06) butterfly events winning gold in both, as well as silver in the 100m butterfly (58.22).

The World Championships will be the biggest stage and highest level meet that 20-year-old Charlotte has competed in and she's excited for the opportunity to show the world what she can do.

"I can't wait to get on the blocks and race against the best in the world. I'm looking forward for the buzz of racing in that atmosphere and representing my country," she says.

In the lead up to the competition there's a fair bit of travel on the cards for Charlotte and she's enjoying the bonding experience that comes with that.

"The best part about being with Team GB is feeding off other people's success and being around others who have the same dream and ambitions I do."

Good luck to all of our F-Teamers on the journey to Budapest!

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