Cockermouth swim star Luke Greenbank will represent England at next year's Commonwealth Games.

Greenbank will head Down Under as part of Team England at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia.

Greenbank is relatively new to the senior international scene. The Loughborough-based swimmer qualified for his first world championships after defending his 200m backstroke title at the British Swimming Championships, and also making the qualifying time for selection for Team England.

He said: "It feels amazing to be selected to compete for Team England, I remember watching the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and wishing I was there competing.

"Having the opportunity to represent my country at this level is a dream come true."

Greenbank is one of the 15 athletes to be announced by Team England following the first phase of selections by Swim England.

The remaining athletes will be selected following qualification at the Swim England National Winter Championships 2017 in December.

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.”

The team announcement comes as Team England celebrates six months before the opening ceremony of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on April 4, 2018.

Sarah Winckless, Chef de Mission for Commonwealth Games England, 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."