![Kieran Bird](https://www.swimwales.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-1576077713-300x200.jpg)
Kieran Bird – Flying into Paris
Kieran Bird soared into his second Olympic Games with a stunning performance to win the 400m Freestyle event at the Speedo Aquatics GB Championships and Olympic & Paralympic trials. Despite his time being two hundredths of a second outside Aquatics GB’s Olympic qualification time, the 24-year-old was selected for the Paris team on the back […]
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Richards storms to 200 Freestyle glory
Matthew Richards completed a hat-trick of Paris Olympic nomination times as he won the battle of the titans in the Men’s 200m Freestyle. The 21-year-old faced off against GB teammates and sprint royalty with Olympic champion Tom Dean, Tokyo silver medallist Duncan Scott and gold medal winning relay teammate James Guy in a domestic final […]
![Matt Richards](https://www.swimwales.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-2143070143-300x200.jpg)
Richards earns second sprint nomination
Matthew Richards stormed to a second Olympic nomination time and lowered his Welsh 50m Freestyle record on day five of the Speedo Aquatics GB Swimming Championships. The Tokyo relay gold medallist had already sealed his place in Paris with victory in the 100m Free, but now has the opportunity to clinch a sprint triple with […]
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Darbey smashes Paris nomination time
Rhys Darbey put himself firmly in the frame for this summer’s Paralympics after producing a stunning swim to smash the 200m IM Para nomination time. The 16-year-old, who won silver on his World Championships debut in Manchester last year, was inches away from a gold medal that would have guaranteed his spot in Paris as […]
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Jervis and Richards book Paris places
Daniel Jervis and Matthew Richards booked their places at the Paris Olympic Games on an electric day of swimming at the Speedo Aquatics GB Swimming Championships. The distance star and the sprint king top-and-tailed a successful night for Welsh athletes at the London Aquatics Centre. The evening began with the 1500m Freestyle Fastest Heat, in […]
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Welsh swimmers set for 2024 British Swimming Championships
Welsh athletes will aim to book their place in Paris at the 2024 British Swimming Championships and Olympic & Paralympic trials this week. The iconic London Aquatics Centre on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will play host to the first combined Championships from 2nd-7th April 2024. The new-look British Championships will see Olympic and Paralympic swimming […]
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Swim Wales National Championships 2024 Preview
The Swim Wales National Championships returns to Swansea for the 2024 edition this weekend (Friday22nd March – Monday 25th). An incredibly exciting year for Welsh aquatics is well underway. With the 2024 Olympics & Paralympics in Paris on the horizon and the first combined British Championships & Olympic & Paralympic trials two weeks away, our […]
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National Squad Programme Selection Procedures
Swim Wales publish the National Squad Selection Procedures for the 2024/25 season The Swim Wales National Squad Programme aims to provide a progressive and inclusive National Squad pathway in line with the Swim Wales Performance Mission – ‘To support the holistic development of swimmers and para-swimmers to achieve their full potential, aspiring to achieve podium […]
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SW Winter Championships Report
Records tumbled as hundreds of swimmers battled it out across three days of action at the Swim Wales Winter Championships 2023. A total of six Welsh records were broken at Wales National Pool during the short course championships as Olympians and Commonwealth Games medallists took to the pool. Day 1 Day one in Swansea witnessed […]
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Four swimmers on British World Class Programme
A quartet of Welsh para-swimmers have been invited on to British Para-Swimming’s 2023-2024 World Class Programme. Rhys Darbey, Lily Rice, Dylan Broom and Meghan Willis are part of the 41-strong group of swimmers selected on the back of impressive seasons, with the 2024 Paralympic Games less than a year away. Nofio Clwyd’s Darbey has been […]
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Five swimmers on 2023/24 World Class Programme
A total of five Welsh swimmers have been invited on to British Swimming’s World Class Programme (WCP) for the 2023-2024 season, with just over nine months to go until the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This season’s selections follow a spectacular summer in the pool, which saw eight medals – including two world titles – […]
![Matt Richards walking out to race.](https://www.swimwales.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GettyImages-1480388866-300x200.jpg)
Harris & Richards selected for European SC Squad
Medi Harris and Matt Richards will fly the flag for Wales as part of British Swimming’s 35-strong team for the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Bucharest, Romania next month (5th-10th December). The majority of the team for Bucharest were part of the group that earned eight medals at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka […]
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National Squads Confirmed
Swim Wales has confirmed the National Swimming and Para Swimming Squads for the 2023/24 season. A total of 121 athletes have been selected across the performance pathway for the upcoming season, with 16 of these earning a place on the Swim Wales National Elite Squad, which comprises of the top-level Welsh athletes competing at senior […]
![Swansea University and Swim Wales have announced a new partnerhip.](https://www.swimwales.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SwimWales_MoU_1-300x193.jpg)
Swim Wales partners with Swansea University
Swim Wales, the National Governing Body for Aquatics in Wales, is thrilled to announce a landmark partnership with Swansea University. This new multi-year collaboration marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Swim Wales and Swansea University and reinforces our shared commitment to nurturing talent, driving innovation, and promoting aquatics at all levels. Together, […]
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Welsh Swimmers star at Commonwealth Youth Games
Welsh swimmers starred at the Commonwealth Youth Games, and gained invaluable experience as part of Team Wales in Trinidad & Tobago. The squad of 10 swimmers earned 10 individual and relay medals across four days of action at the Trinidad & Tobago National Aquatic Centre. Despite some serious challenges in the Caribbean, our athletes and […]
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Richards crowned World Champion
Matthew Richards made a late charge to clinch a historic gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka. The 20-year-old became the first Welsh individual world champion after a stunning final 25 metres in the 200m Freestyle final. Richards clocked a new lifetime best and Welsh record of 1:44.30 to edge out British Swimming […]
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Long Course Competition Opportunities Announced!
Swim Wales is delighted to announce additional long course opportunities for swimmers across Wales following the postponement of the Swim Wales National Championships 2023. After the unfortunate cancellation of the National Championships, Swim Wales has looked to create opportunities to allow swimmers to compete at a high level whilst giving them opportunities to qualify for […]
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SW NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023: CHANGE OF FORMAT
Update as of 21:00 12/04/23 The Swim Wales National Championships 2023 will now be run Short Course after Swim Wales were informed of an issue with the facilities at Cardiff International Pool on Wednesday evening. We were faced with the difficult decision whether to cancel the event or change the format at 20:00 on Wednesday, […]
![Medi Harris will compete at Worlds.](https://www.swimwales.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Website-headers-95-300x78.png)
Welsh trio set for Worlds
Matt Richards, Daniel Jervis and Medi Harris will fly the flag for Wales and Great Britain at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka this summer. The trio are a part of British Swimming’s 29-strong team that will take to the pool at the World Aquatics Championships in Japan this summer, one year out from the […]
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Harris defends title in style
Medi Harris defended her British crown in style on Wednesday night as she held off Lauren Cox and Kathleen Dawson to clinch 100m Backstroke gold. The Commonwealth bronze medallist had qualified third for the Ponds Forge final after competing in the 200m Freestyle final a day earlier. But Harris showed her class as she exploded […]
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Rice Ready for Sheffield Return
Lily Rice decided it was her time to quit swimming the last time she competed at Pond’s Forge, but her career has come full circle as she returns a Commonwealth Games medallist six years later. Lily, alongside another eight Welsh para swimmers, will take on a stellar field at the Citi Para Swimming World Series […]
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Young stars shine in Canada
A group of seven future Welsh stars gained valuable experience in Canada last week as part of the British Swimming team at the Ontario Junior International Meet. The young swimmers returned with a haul of medals and one Welsh Junior Record thanks to some incredible performances. Tyler Melbourne-Smith had recently completed a clean sweep of […]
![Matt Richards stars in Scotland](https://www.swimwales.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Website-headers-89-300x78.png)
Richards stars in Scotland
Matt Richards closed out the 2022 short course season in record-breaking style as his stunning form continued at the Scottish National Short Course Championships. The 19-year-old claimed a haul of four gold medals, a silver and a Welsh record to boot on another impressive weekend at Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool. On day one, the Olympic […]
![Performance team](https://www.swimwales.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Website-headers-26-300x78.png)
Welsh swimmers star at Swim England National Winter Championships
British and Welsh records fell in Sheffield as Welsh swimmers starred at the Swim England National Winter Championships. Matt Richards, Tyler Melbourne-Smith and Medi Harris were all amongst the medals at Ponds Forge International Pool. Richards continued his red-hot return to the form that saw him claim Olympic Relay gold last year, as he broke […]