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Artistic swimmers Izzy Thorpe and Kate Shortman hope to “carry on the legacy” of their mothers at the Paris Olympics this summer.<\/b><\/p>\n
Thorpe’s mum Karen competed alongside Shortman’s mother, Maria, in the 1980s.<\/p>\n
Thorpe, 23, and Shortman, 22, who won silver at this year’s World Championships, were confirmed as Team GB’s entrants for this summer’s Olympics on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
“Both our mums got us into the sport and coached us for a long time,” Shortman told the BBC. “We are carrying on that legacy.”<\/p>\n
The pair, childhood friends and former schoolmates, will be competing at a second Olympics, having come 14th in Tokyo in 2021.<\/p>\n
But, after a major rule change to the sport, Shortman and Thorpe go into the Games as contenders to win Britain a first Olympic medal in the sport formerly known as synchronised swimming.<\/p>\n
Their silver in the technical duet in Doha meant they became the first Britons to win a duet medal at a World Championships<\/a> and they followed that with bronze in the free duet later in the competition.<\/p>\n Earlier this month they won gold in an Olympic test event in the pool which will be used for the Paris Games.<\/p>\n “Hopefully we are on that winning streak and can keep it going,” Shortman said.<\/p>\n “People look at us differently at a syncro competition now.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n