Paris Olympics 2024: How are British swimmers shaping up for the Games?

The places on the plane, or in this case train, are booked.

After the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, the majority of the British team for this summer's Olympics in Paris is confirmed.

Only the final spaces can now be filled by the coaches, while the Paralympic team will be selected in the coming weeks.

After a week that included a return to form for Adam Peaty, British records and personal bests, two former swimming Olympians - Karen Pickering and Steve Parry - look at how the British Olympic team is shaping up and make some predictions for Paris.

• Richards wins epic 200m freestyle as Dean misses out defend Olympic gold

Who impressed you the most in London?

Karen Pickering: It's a tough one, there have been so many great swims, but one that stands out is Ollie Morgan in the 100m backstroke - breaking that 15-year record of Liam Tancock.

It was a tough British record to get. Liam had the advantage of the supersuits back then.

It's exciting for Morgan himself but also for the British medley relay team.

Steve Parry: It is great we are seeing emerging talent but in an Olympic year you have to be focusing on where the medals are going to come from.

To see the big guns come out and perform, the likes of Duncan Scott in the 200m individual medley finishing in one minute 55 seconds.

That shows a global superstar like France's Leon Marchand is not going to have it all his own way.

Which event are you most confident GB will win a medal in?

SP: Duncan Scott won four medals in Tokyo - the most a Briton has ever won at an Olympic Games.

I wouldn't look further than Scott when looking to predict British medals. That 200m medley was the performance of the meet.

Also combining Morgan's swim with Adam Peaty's 100m breaststroke here, GB are definitely in with a shout for a medal again in that 4x100m medley relay.

KP: The depth of British talent in the men's 200m freestyle is such that we knew whoever stepped up would have a chance of a medal - potentially gold and silver.

Matt Richards and Scott qualified so will have every chance.

On the women's side, the swimmer that has impressed me and really come through is Freya Colbert, who qualified in three events - the 400m medley, the 200m freestyle and the 200m medley. She will be in the relays too.

Freya has swam her best times when it matters and is so versatile. It is great to be able to work on different events because it keeps swimmers fresh.

Who has a bit of work to do?

KP: Katie Shanahan has said herself she was disappointed with her times this week.

Although she has qualified, she said she should have done better in the 200m backstroke. I still feel she has great potential come the Olympics.

SP: You could look at Adam Peaty and say he is a second off his best time and someone who isn't familiar with what he has been through will wonder why. But Adam Peaty going 57-high is an unbelievable result.

I am very excited about that 100m breaststroke race. China's Qin Haiyang, dubbed the Purple Dragon, won the 50m, 100m and 200m at the worlds last year. He is going to come up against Peaty.

That will be one of the events of the whole Olympics.

So is Peaty's three-Peat on?

SP: I am going to chicken out but winning gold in the same swimming event at three Olympics has only ever been done by one male before, and that was Michael Phelps.

With the backdrop of Adam saying he had his problems with alcoholism and depression it is not going to be easy and we have an amazing talent in Qin who is putting in 57.6secs times.

KP: Qin is a machine. He was rolling out times at major championships. He is very, very impressive.

However I do think Adam is in the best place he could be in mentally because he is the underdog.

He has been the favourite for so long and that has been hard. It is so tough to stay at the top. By having this time out, Adam has given himself the freedom to go in without the pressure he would have had.

Can anyone end the 16-year wait for a female British gold?

KP: That is a tough one. The events we are the strongest are some of the events that are the strongest in the world.

There's the 50m and 100m freestyle, the backstroke events. Just look at the number of Australians in the sprint freestyle races.

The best chance would be in the 400m medley with Colbert.

SP: I'm going to go for a hard no, just because of the competition. Freya is a fantastic talent but in that race you will have Canada's Summer McIntosh. She is a generational talent and this could be the Games she stamps her authority.

It is not easy to expect gold medals. We have been spoilt.

Which race should people not miss in Paris?

SP: That's an easy one for me.

This Olympics is in France. It's at a $200m aquatics centre. They are going to expect a new hero and it will be Leon Marchand in that 200m individual medley.

A lot of people won't have been watching the American Collegiate Championships but Marchand has been tearing it up. He is rewriting the record books. His father was a swimmer. His mother was an international swimmer as well.

If there was a breeding programme for the perfect French swimmer you would pick that.

KP: Marchand will be swimming other events as well - the 200m butterfly, 400m medley and could even do the 200m breaststroke.

I can't get away from that. The noise in that arena when a French swimmer touches the wall first, it's given me goosebumps just thinking about it.

Prediction time: how many medals will Team GB win in Paris?

SP: Eight! 12 months ago that would have been hard to say but I am starting to believe.

KP: Agreed. I would say we will equal what we did in Tokyo.