Following the announcement that the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2027 will be heading to Berlin, Paris and London, British swimmer Angharad Evans welcomed the prospect of competing against the world’s best on home soil.
World Aquatics confirmed on Wednesday that London, and the London Aquatics Centre, will host the final stop on next year's three-week circuit, marking the first time an international swimming event has been held in the venue since the London 2012 Olympic Games, and the first World Aquatics event in the United Kingdom since 2008.
The announcement marks a major milestone for British swimming, giving athletes and fans the opportunity to experience world-class competition at home.
For 23-year-old Evans, considered by many as one of Britain's brightest young talents, next year's event holds enormous potential.
"I'm so excited for it," Evans told Aquatics GB. “I got a taste for it with the Commonwealth Games being in Glasgow, and that has probably been my favourite meet ever, so to have a World Aquatics meet in London just down the road from us is super exciting.”
The 100m Breaststroke European champion also revealed how the London Aquatics Centre being selected as one of the host venues is further fuelling her enthusiasm for next year's Swimming World Cup.
"That pool is probably my favourite pool in the world," she said. “I always, fingers crossed, swim well there."
“I just think that facility being used to its best potential is really exciting, and also just giving England and Great Britain a taste for world-class swimming is really exciting.”
The prospect of competing at home also brings personal excitement, with Evans joking that the London location will make it easier for her family to watch her race.
“At least it will be cheap for my mum to just go down the road and see me swim against the best in the world,” she added.
Evans also believes the Swimming World Cup will be a means to inspire the next generation of British swimmers, giving them the opportunity to watch some of the world's biggest names in person.
“Most people that I talk to my age remember 2012 because it was so vivid,” she explained. “We don't really get big competitions like this in the UK.
"So many young swimmers from Great Britain – seeing world class swimming and people that they idolise, not necessarily in Great Britain, but other American, Australian swimmers on their doorstep - that's going to create memories for them to inspire them in the future."
The competition will also carry additional significance, with direct qualification opportunities on offer for 50m Butterfly, Backstroke and Breaststroke at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, and Evans wasn't ready to rule out the possibility of competing in the shorter distance.
“Something about the Olympic trials is that much more nerve-wracking but also exciting, even if I'm not competing in that event, which I'm not going to rule out just yet. Maybe the 50 will be on the cards,” she said.
“Just knowing what's on the line for the swimmers competing makes it more exciting to watch. Are they going to qualify? Are they not?”
"To have such a mix of nations and things on the line for people is going to be so exciting. I cannot wait to compete"
With world-class athletes, Olympic qualification opportunities and three iconic Olympic cities playing host to the action, the Swimming World Cup 2027 promises to be a landmark occasion for the sport.
Fans can register their interest in tickets for all three stops here.