performance

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Swim Wales can confirm some key updates to our Competition Calendar for 2024. These changes have been made by the Swim Wales team following feedback from our aquatics community to improve our competitive pathway. The National Development Meet (Long Course) will now take place on Sunday 14th July and the Swim Wales Summer Meet will be closed to Welsh swimmers […]

Aidan Heslop became the first Welsh world champion to be crowned in Doha after executing the hardest dive in the world from the 27m platform. Heslop, who has represented Wales at the last two Commonwealth Games, sat third heading into Thursday’s fourth and final round, 21 points behind France’s Gary Hunt in first. But the […]

Hector Pardoe’s Olympic debut was brutally cut short by an eye injury, but now he has his sights set on redemption after clinching a dramatic World Championships bronze. The Welsh marathon swimmer charged to Britain’s first 10km marathon swimming World Championship medal for more than a decade on Sunday in Doha. Pardoe’s sensational finish in […]

Diolch yn fawr iawn to everyone who contributed to the Swim Wales Annual Awards 2024. Congratulations to all of our finalists and award winners, your efforts in 2023 have made a huge impact on Welsh Aquatics, and we were delighted to be able to celebrate with you at the Village Hotel, Cardiff.  Thank you to […]

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 […]

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 – […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

Swim Wales has introduced several enhancements to the swimming and para-swimming competition pathway and event structure for the 2023/24 season. Following an extensive review of our Performance System conducted between September and December 2022, Swim Wales has conducted an in-depth Competition Pathway and Events Review, resulting in a series of recommendations for our events calendar […]

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 […]

Today, Swim Wales & Team Wales announce the athletes selected as part of the Swimming team for the Commonwealth Youth Games, which takes place in the twin island nation of Trinidad and Tobago from 4-11 August this summer. Swim Wales athletes will make up a quarter of the Team Wales squad for the Commonwealth Youth […]

Swim Wales, has today launched YMLAEN – Our new strategy for Aquatics in Wales. The recognised governing body for all aquatic sport and activity in Wales is proud and excited to unveil our new YMLAEN strategy to help drive Welsh aquatics forward over the next three years. YMLAEN (Welsh for forward or progress) sets a […]

Welsh swimmer Hector Pardoe has been named in British Swimming’s marathon swimming team for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, with the Seaside Momochi Beach Park hosting the action from 15th-20th July. The 22-year-old Olympian Pardoe is part of a British trio that also includes, Leah Crisp and Amber Keegan. They will also be joined […]

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 […]

Swim Wales has updated its Commonwealth Youth Games 2023 Selection Policy due to the unforeseen postponement of the Swim Wales National Championships. The revised policy has been approved by Commonwealth Games Wales (CGW). The significant amendment to the policy is that Swim Wales will consider “All Swim Wales, Swim England, Scottish Swimming, British Swimming, LEN, […]