Born in Manchester, Ms Wignall said she first picked up underwater hockey while growing up in New Zealand, having followed her older sister into the sport.

Moving back to the UK shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic, she added that her first international tournament, the World Championships in Australia in 2020, were postponed due to lockdowns and rescheduled for 2023, where Great Britain finished fourth.

The upcoming championship, from 17-23 August, will see the best teams from Europe and Africa compete for a place in the World Championships scheduled for 2027.

Ms Wignall said that she heads to Leeds once a month to train with the Great Britain team, who hope to secure a gold medal in 2027.