Aquatics Honoured at Welsh Sports Hall of Fame

The Welsh Sports Hall of Fame added five new names to its Roll of Honour at the 33rd annual dinner at the Parkgate Hotel, Cardiff last night (Thursday, 24 October). The ‘Famous Five’ took the number of inductees over the past 34 years to 186 and there were also three other special awards. Both Hall of […]

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Historic summer for Welsh stars

As the curtain came down on the Paris 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games, it brought an end to a historic summer for Welsh swimmers. For the first time, Welsh athletes earned gold medals at both Games, with Kieran Bird & Matt Richards clinching 4x200m Freestyle Relay gold, and Rhys Darbey playing a pivotal role in […]

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Darbey storms to back to clinch silver!

Rhys Darbey mounted a stunning comeback to add the SM14 200m Individual Medley silver medal to his relay gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games. The 17-year-old stormed home to a lifetime best of 2:08.61 at La Defense Arena to take the Welsh medal tally in Paris to five. Trailing the leading pack after the opening […]

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Paralympic Profile: Rhys Darbey

Rhys Darbey is ready to make a splash at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games after a rapid rise to the greatest stage. The Nofio Clwyd athlete will race at his maiden Games after making his international breakthrough in 2023 as he secured qualification for the Manchester Para Swimming World Championships in the Men’s SM14 200m […]

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Hector Pardoe: Olympic Profile

Hector Pardoe is out for redemption in Paris after his Olympic debut was cruelly cut short. The Wrexham-born open water specialist has become a staple in the British team at every major meet since his time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Pardoe, who covers 85km in the pool every week, marked himself out as one […]

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Olympics glory for Welsh pool swimmers

Welsh swimmers starred in La Defense Arena pool as Team GB took five medals and came close to many more at the 2024 Olympic Games. The Paris edition of the Games will go down as the most successful in modern history for Welsh pool swimmers, with two relay golds and an individual silver returning across […]

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Richards and Bird crowned Olympic Champions

Welshmen Matthew Richards and Kieran Bird were crowned Olympic champions after Team GB made history by defending their Men’s 4x200m Freestyle title. Richards, who won a sensational individual silver on Monday, swum a rapid third leg in the final after Bird helped Great Britain secure the fastest qualifying spot for the final after La Défense […]

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Richards seals stunning silver

Matthew Richards became the first Welsh person to win a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after securing a stunning 200m Freestyle silver. The 21-year-old, who won relay gold in Tokyo four years ago, was in the hunt for individual glory at La Defense Arena, but faced a daunting challenge after qualifying seventh fastest […]

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Medi Harris: Olympic Profile

Medi Harris has faced huge challenges in 2024, but she will realise her Olympic dream in Paris. The Porthmadog swimmer will make her Olympic Games debut in Paris off the back of winning her maiden World Championship medals in February and a consistent two years of international performances since her busy debut summer of 2022. […]

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Matthew Richards: Olympic Profile

Matthew Richards became Wales’ first Olympic swimming gold medallist in more than a century alongside Calum Jarvis in 2021, and now his sights are set on individual honours. The 21-year-old Richards reached the pinnacle of his sport at the age of 18, winning Olympic gold as part of the men’s 4x200m relay team in Tokyo, […]

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Daniel Jervis

Daniel Jervis: Olympics Profile

Daniel Jervis has come back from the brink of walking away from the sport to take his place at his second Olympic Games. The distance specialist revealed he came close to quitting the sport before the Speedo Aquatics GB Championships and Olympic & Paralympic Trials earlier in the year, but he delivered when it mattered […]

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Kieran Bird

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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Plans announced for Swim Wales Summer Meet 2024

Swim Wales is excited to announce our plans to enhance the Swim Wales Summer Meet 2024. The summer showcase will feature five days of top-class swimming at the Wales National Pool Swansea from August 1st to 5th. This year, alongside the competitive events, we will have so much more going on to elevate your event […]

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Cynnwys launched!

Swim Wales took a took a step forward in its ambition to make its vision of ‘Aquatics for Everyone for Life’ a reality after the launch of the new Cynnwys inclusion framework. The National Governing Body for aquatics in Wales proudly unveiled Cynnwys, its new comprehensive inclusion framework, during a special event at the Senedd […]

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Water Safety call as number of drowning deaths in young people in Wales rises

People of all ages in Wales are being encouraged to learn key safety tips to help young people stay safe around the sea, rivers and other open water. The call from Water Safety Wales comes as statistics showed a rise in accidental drowning deaths involving people aged under 20 for a second year running. Water […]

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Cardiff Council launch partnership project with Swim Wales to address low numbers of children swimming

Cardiff Council, alongside Swim Wales and partners, has revealed plans to address the low number of children taking part in school swimming lessons. Delivered by the Council’s Cardiff Commitment Curriculum Team, in partnership with Swim Wales, Cardiff Met Sport, GLL, Legacy Leisure, Urdd Gobaith Cymru and Public Health Wales, the project aims to increase the […]

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Bwy’n Iach strengthens Swim Wales partnership

Swim Wales, the National Governing Body for aquatics in Wales, has strengthened its relationship with leading North Wales leisure operator Byw’n Iach, after signing a new partnership agreement. Byw’n Iach operate 11 leisure and sport venues on behalf of Gwynedd Council with the mission of offering sustainable leisure and fitness activities of the highest quality […]

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Darbey selected for Paralympic Games

Welsh para-swimmer Rhys Darbey has been selected to represent Great Britain at this summer’s Paralympic Games. The Nofio Clwyd athlete will make his Paralympics debut in Paris when the Games get underway in 100 days. Darbey, who only received his S14 classification in 2022, earned a silver medal at his maiden World Para-Swimming World Championships […]

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Mental Health Awareness Week President’s Blog

For Mental Health Awareness Week 2024, Swim Wales President Keri Hutchinson has penned her latest blog on relationship between aquatic activity and mental health. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week 2024.The theme for this year, as set by the Mental Health Foundation, is “Movement: Moving more for our mental health”. The aim of this awareness […]

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Welsh swimmers star at World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships

Welsh pair part of Great Britain squad crowned World top team again at the World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships 2024. Williams wins World medley relay bronze. Great Britain retained their top team title at the 11th World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships held in Antalya, Turkiye 19-26 March 2024 Down Syndrome Swimming Great Britain took a […]

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Fantastic Five selected for Paris Olympics

Five Welsh swimmers have been selected to represent Great Britain at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Medi Harris, Matthew Richards, Daniel Jervis and Kieran Bird will fly the flag for Wales as part of Team GB during the Olympic pool programme, while Hector Pardoe – who earned a bronze medal at February’s […]

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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 […]

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Matt Richards

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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