WIRRAL swimmer Freya Anderson has been selected to represent Team England at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Austrailia.

This will be Freya's second outing as a member of a senior international squad after having qualified for the 2017 World Championships.

She won her first national title in April and at just 16-years-old she is the youngest swimmer on the team and is currently seeded first in Britain for the 100m freestyle.

Team leader Grant Robins said: “This is an exciting team that has been selected for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

"We have a wealth of experience from athletes that know what it takes to win.

“We also have a number of new athletes that will be taking the step up and experiencing a multi-sport event for the first time.

“I know the team will work hard in their home programmes to be the best they can be when they step on the plane to the Gold Coast.”

Freya will join 14 other athletes as a member of Team England following a first phase of selections by Swim England.

Remaining athletes will be selected after qualification at the Swim England National Winter Championships 2017 in December.

Chef de mission for Commonwealth Games England Sarah Winckless said: “We’re now almost six months out from the Gold Coast 2018 and preparations are really heating up.

"We’re confident that we are going to be sending the most prepared English team to the Gold Coast in April and the selection of the first swimming athletes is evidence to that.

“We are incredibly proud to be putting forward some of the best athletes in the world who have already proved their dominance on the world stage alongside others who are just starting what I’m sure will be an extremely successful sporting career.

“We look forward to the high-level of competition the Commonwealth Games will provide and with our excellent team of staff focussing their efforts to ensure that when we get out there, Team England will have everything set up for a world-class performance environment.”