Fran Halsall and Roberto Pavoni star at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

England’s best swimmers will be taking to the pool on Thursday as they begin their bid for medal glory at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

Team England will be wearing carbon flex suits from Arena, official aquatics wear supplier to Team England at the Commonwealth Games, as they go for gold at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. The suits were specially customised for the team with input from elite athletes throughout the design process. The suits are maroon, grey and black with white detail, and feature the iconic English lion, team logo and a gold Arena logo.

Arena athlete Francesca Halsall, winner of five medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games including gold in the 50m butterfly, said: “I did five events in Delhi in 2010 and I will be doing the same in Glasgow. The Commonwealth Games will be a good marker for me because the sprint freestyle field is very strong. It will be a challenge, but if I get certain areas of my race right that I’ve been working hard on in training then I’m confident of winning medals.”

Halsall, 24, will be competing in the 50m and 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay.

Fellow Team England swimmer and Arena athlete Roberto Pavoni, 23, commented: “I’m so happy to have qualified for my second Commonwealth Games, it means everything to me because to be at competitions of this standard is what I train everyday for. I love competing for Team England because, like the Olympics, we only get to do it once every four years and it is always something special.

“I want to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games. The 400 IM is my main event, so hopefully I can do well in that and bring back a medal.”

Arena has provided racing suits, training suits, goggles and caps to the aquatics team who will contest 44 swimming events and 10 diving events. In total, the global aquatics sports brand will be providing 430 items of kit to Team England. Supporters can buy replica Arena Team England kit through the Commonwealth Games England website.

Arena is asking fans to help build a Team England Supporters’ Flag by tweeting their messages of support and good luck using #aspiretobe. The best tweets will be printed onto the flag, which will be given away after the Games.

Swimming News courtesy of Arena, a SwimSwam partner.