Swim Wales welcomed 136 swimmers from across the UK, the Channel Islands and Ireland to Swansea last weekend (20th–22nd February) for the Aquatics GB Winter Para Meet, the final opportunity for eligible athletes to post consideration times for the upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026.
Across three days of high-quality racing, a series of Welsh Para records were broken, underlining the strength and depth of performance within the national pathway.
Letton-Jones Sets Four Welsh Para Records
S12 swimmer Ela Letton-Jones (Manchester Performance) delivered a superb meet, breaking four Welsh Para records. She stopped the clock in 1:04.35 in the Women’s 100m Freestyle on Friday, before adding further records in the 50m Freestyle (00:30.15), 100m Backstroke (1:11.94) and 400m Freestyle (05:14.28).
Double Success for O’Reilly
S8 athlete McKenzie O’Reilly (Torfaen Dolphins) also enjoyed a standout weekend, claiming Welsh Para records in the Men’s 100m Backstroke (01:24.23) and 400m Freestyle (05:37.25).
More Backstroke and Medley Records
S14 swimmer Rose Williams (City of Cardiff) set a new Welsh Para record of 01:07.55 in the Women’s 100m Backstroke, and claimed 2nd place, before going on to lower the 200m Freestyle mark with a time of 02:10.29.
SM11 competitor Eliza Humphrey (Swansea University) impressed in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley, breaking the Welsh Para record in 03:04.67.
Heidi Rogerson (Holywell SC) added to the tally with a Welsh Para record of 01:21.63 in the S10 Women’s 100m Backstroke.
In the SB9 Men’s 100m Breaststroke, Luc Hopkins (Torfaen Dolphins) also delivered a record-breaking performance, clocking 01:33.93.
Strong Para Points Performances
There were also impressive podium finishes on para points across the weekend.
S14 swimmer Rhys Darbey (Wrexham) secured:
- 1st in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley (02:10.41)
- 2nd in the Men’s 200m Freestyle (01:56.92)
- 3rd in the Men’s 100m Freestyle (00:54.23)
Dylan Broom (Swansea University) finished 3rd in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley (02:17.33) and 4th in the Men’s 200m Freestyle S14 (02:04.61)
Earlier in the month, Darbey had already shown strong form by setting a Welsh Para record of 02:11.00 in the S14 Men’s 200m Butterfly at the Swim Wales Regional Racing Series – North.
Alys Thomas, Performance Development Coach & Pathway Manager at Swim Wales, said:
“It was fantastic to see so many Welsh Para records broken in Swansea last weekend. What’s particularly encouraging is the depth of performances across multiple classifications. To host an event of this calibre in Wales and witness our swimmers step up with personal bests, podium finishes on para points and national records is hugely positive.”
