AIMEE WILLMOTT is the first North-Easterner to be confirmed as part of the British team for this summer’s Olympics after a 26-strong swimming squad was announced earlier today.

Willmott, who is expected to compete in the 400m individual medley, will be taking part in her second Games after making her Olympic debut at London 2012.

The Middlesbrough-born swimmer narrowly missed out on a place in the final four years ago, and will be hoping to improve on that performance in Rio after claiming two silver medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

She finished second in the 400m individual medley final at the recent British Championships, trailing narrowly behind compatriot Hannah Miley, but missed out on the automatic qualifying time that would have guaranteed an Olympic place.

However, her performance fell within the two per cent parameter set out as a minimum requirement by the BOA, and the selectors today confirmed her place in the squad.

With Hartlepool’s Jemma Lowe having failed to make it on to the team, Willmott will be the only North-East swimmer competing in Rio.

“So happy to have been selected to represent GB at my second Olympic Games,” she tweeted. “Rio here I come!”

Adam Peaty will be the figurehead of the swimming squad, and will hope to add an Olympic gold medal to the World and European titles he already holds.

Peaty will be joined in Rio by fellow World champion James Guy, World individual medallists Jazz Carlin and Siobhan-Marie O’Connor and four members of the World Championship winning men’s 4x200m freestyle relay squad.

Miley and Andrew Willis will return to Olympic action after making finals in London, while Robbie Renwick has been selected for his third appearance at the Games.

Britain claimed just three swimming medals in London - a silver for Michael Jamieson and Rebecca Adlington’s double bronze - which meant they finished way down the performance table of British teams. However, head coach Bill Furniss is confident of an improved showing this summer.

“We are pretty confident,” said Furniss. “There is a nice mix of youth and experience. It is a sport where you have got to perform your best on the day, and that's what our challenge is with this team.

“We don't talk about medals, we talk about season's-best performances or even lifetime-best performances when it counts on the day, and if we can get a high percentage of our team doing that, then the medals will come to us.

“Anything can happen. It's on the night in Rio. It is not about the trials, they were the first step on the ladder. In the past, we have had very good trials, and then struggled on the day when it counts. This time, we are pleased with our trials, but our focus is definitely on Rio.

“The one thing we have done a lot of work on is belief. You have got to have that absolute certainty of belief before you can do anything.

"UK Sport set a medal target for each sport. I don't discuss it with the athletes, I don't discuss it with the coaches and I am not going to discuss it with you (the media).

“What we look at is being at 100 per cent and producing a lifetime-best performance when it counts. That's all you can ask, and we will do everything we can to leave no stone unturned and hope we can get most of our team do that.”