Taylor leads Yorkshire challenge at British Swimming Championships

The 19-year-old from Sheffield - whose swimming education took in time at Doncaster Dartes, City of Harrogate and City of Leeds swimming clubs - claimed a hat-trick of British breaststroke titles at last year’s championships in Glasgow.

Now based in London, she will hope to defend the 50m, 100m and 200m events in what has become her home pool, the London Olympic Aquatics Centre.

Taylor used last year’s national meet as a platform for a strong Commonwealth Games back in Glasgow, in which she won the 100m gold medal.

Taylor is joined in the capital this week by a quintet of returning Yorkshire Olympians; City of Sheffield’s freestyle swimmers Ellie Faulkner and Becky Turner, Middlesbrough double Commonwealth Games silver medallist Aimee Willmott, Beverley’s world and Olympic backstroke finalist Lizzie Simmonds, and Rotherham’s Joe Roebuck.

A host of younger swimmers will also be in action, among them three young men from the City of Sheffield club - Nick Grainger, Max Litchfield and Lewis Coleman - who are all hoping to build on the experiences gained at last summer’s Commonwealth Games.

Scarborough’s Gareth Mills, who has swapped Sheffield for a training base at Leicester, is also in action.

The British Championships, which run from Tuesday to Saturday, will act as the trials for the world championships this summer in Kazan, Russia.

Places are also up for grabs in the GB squads for the World University Games, South Korea; the European Youth Olympic Festival, Georgia; European Games Baku, Azerbaijan; World Junior Champs, Singapore.