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 named amongst the Podium Potential group for the first time following a stellar breakthrough season in which he claimed a silver medal in the SM14 200m Individual Medley at the Manchester World Para Swimming Championships.
Rice, of Pembrokeshire County, clinched a brilliant bronze for Wales at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and will be out to push on to reach her first Paralympics in Paris.
Torfaen Dolphins teammates Dylan Broom and Meghan Willis will also take up places with the Podium Potential group as they look to build on their Commonwealth Games experiences with a view to the 2024 & 2028 Paralympics.
Both the Podium and Podium Potential programme tiers (as listed below) receive opportunities and targeted financial assistance from UK Sport through the World Class Performance Programme’s Athlete Performance Award (APA).
Athletes selected on to World Class Programmes are also eligible to benefit from competition and training camp opportunities throughout the season in which they are selected, with access to world-class sports science and medicine services available, on top of comprehensive support from British Para-Swimming performance staff and national Institute of Sport programmes across the UK.
With the announcement coming as the last world class programme list before the Games in Paris, British Swimming’s Associate Performance Director, Tim Jones, spoke of his optimism ahead of Paralympic year.
“We have every confidence that the athletes named on the programme will make a strong impression on the world stage in Paris next summer, and at Games and World Championship events to come in the future,” said Jones.
“With an impressive season under their belts, we look forward to seeing how each and every one continues their development in the months we have left, as well as at the competitions and training camps that the programme athletes will have access to in order to maximise our medal opportunities when it counts.
“This evolving cohort of athletes puts our programme in a great position not only to deliver success in Paris next year, but longer term in Los Angeles and beyond.”
View the full list of athletes here.
