The 18-year-old, who set a new record of 24 seconds dead in the 50 metres backstroke at the European Championships in August, has been picked alongside athletes including Andrei Minakov, who won seven medals including five golds at the European Junior Championships earlier this year, and Elizaveta Klevanovich, who won seven.

Russia is one of 16 teams that are eligible to field a full team of eight athletes, thanks to their points placement at the 2017 International Swimming Federation World Championships.

Their team will be one of the best that any nation has ever sent for the swimming competition at a Youth Olympics, with many countries often sending second-tier teams as a means of athlete development.

Also on their team are Daniil Markov, who won three medals at the European Juniors, Daris Vaskina, who won three golds, Anastasia Makarova, who won three medals, Vladislav Gerasimenko who won four golds and Polina Egorova, who finished 11th in the 200m backstroke at the senior European Championships.

At the 2014 Youth Olympics, Russia finished second to China in the swimming medals table, picking up six golds, four silvers and three bronzes.