Anna Hursey has declared herself “super-proud” ahead of Paris 2024, where she will become the first Welsh table tennis player to represent Team GB at the Olympic Games.

Anna, who turned 18 last month, qualified via the European Singles Qualification Tournament in Sarajevo in May.

Her place in the squad was officially ratified on July 2, the day she also attended ‘kitting out’ with team-mate Liam Pitchford, Leader Gavin Evans and coach John Murphy to pick up all their official Team GB kit.

She said: “It feels amazing. I’m super-happy to be going and proud to play for Team GB. I’m super-proud to be Welsh and they are all very supportive of me since I was very young.”

Making her Olympic debut at the age of 18, Anna will be only a year younger than Liam Pitchford was when he played his first Games at London 2012. Paris will be his fourth Olympics and Anna knows she can get the benefit of his Games experience.

“He’s been to quite a few Olympics and so I can always go to him for advice,” she said. “He went when he was 19 in his first, so quite a similar age, and anything that I need, or any help, I can always ask him.”

Anna has dreamed of going to the Olympics since she was young and, as she is still a teenager, there is every chance there will be more appearances to come. She is focused on absorbing and learning as much as she can from the experience, while also aiming to hit peak performance at the right time.

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“When I was younger, I just always wanted to play because it was fun,” she said. “And then when I started playing more tournaments, I realised maybe I can be quite good, so I kept playing. But I’ve always wanted to go to the Olympics – of course, everyone does,” she said.

“Everything will be incredible, I’m sure. The food court – everyone says that’s so overwhelming. And, yeah, I’m sure will be amazing. I want to go to experience and to take it all in for the future Olympics.

“But of course, for myself and for the coaches and my team, the goal is hopefully I can just go out there on the day and play the best that I can, and then we’ll see what happens.

Anna said she would like to watch some gymnastics and boxing if there is a chance, as she finds those sports “exciting”.

And she was thrilled to go through her first GB kitting out experience, adding: “It feels so cool to try on the new kit and to meet everyone here. It’s been a really fun day.

“All the kit’s so nice and we’ve got massive bags of it. I really like the raincoat . . . we got a suit as well, and we have the opening ceremony kit. It’s so cool to have all the kit and to be here today.”