Swim Wales National Championships 2026

Thursday 2nd April 2026
Friday 3rd April 2026
Saturday 4th April 2026
Sunday 5th April 2026

Seven dedicated swimmers from Holywell Swimming Club travelled to Swansea for the Swim Wales Nationals over the Easter weekend. Some of our swimmers gained valuable experience at their first National event and did themselves proud.

Most importantly, our team showed amazing respect and support towards each other and fellow North Wales swimmers. We were incredibly proud of how the team conducted themselves both in and out of the water—well done team!

The Team

Flora, Elen, Thomas, Patrick, Charlie, Emily, and Betsy demonstrated incredible commitment and strong process skills throughout the four-day long-course event.

The swimmers faced a rigorous schedule of heats and finals at the Welsh National Pool against elite talent from across Wales.

Swimmer Highlights

Thomas

• Day 1: 200m Freestyle – PB and reached the final, finishing 8th.
• Day 2: 800m Freestyle – Strong swim, 3-second PB and Bronze Medal.
• Day 3: 400m Freestyle – PB and another final, finishing 6th (new lap card & bell system handled well).
• Day 4: 1500m Freestyle – Tough race, strong finish to secure Silver Medal.

Charlie

• Overall: 9 races | 8 finals | 12 PBs
• Day 1:
  • 50m Butterfly – PB
  • 100m Backstroke – PB + Final – Silver Medal
• Day 2:
  • 200m IM – PB + Final – Silver Medal
  • 50m Butterfly – PB + Final – Bronze Medal
  • 200m Backstroke – Final swim, unfortunately disqualified after a turn error
• Day 3:
  • 50m Freestyle – PB + Final – Bronze Medal
  • 100m Butterfly – PB + Final – 5th place
• Day 4:
  • 50m Backstroke – PB in final – Silver Medal
  • 100m Freestyle – PB + Final – finished 4th (0.6 seconds between 2nd–4th)

Betsy

• Day 1:
  • 200m Backstroke – PB, 5th fastest 12-year-old
  • 100m Freestyle – PB
• Day 2:
  • 100m Backstroke – PB, 8th fastest 12-year-old
• Day 4:
  • 50m Freestyle – PB

Summary: 4 PBs, 10th fastest 12-year-old in a field of 30+ swimmers.

Flora

• Day 1:
  • 50m Breaststroke – PB, 7th in heats and final
• Day 3:
  • 100m Breaststroke – PB, first reserve for final

Summary: Two strong performances.

Emily

• Day 1:
  • 50m Breaststroke – PB
  • 200m Backstroke – DQ (learning experience)
  • 100m Freestyle – PB
• Day 2:
  • 50m Butterfly – PB
  • 400m Freestyle – 6-second PB, 4th fastest 12-year-old
  • 100m Backstroke – PB
• Day 3:
  • 200m IM – PB, 5th fastest 12-year-old
  • 50m Freestyle – PB + Final – 5th (2nd fastest 12-year-old)
  • 100m Breaststroke – PB
• Day 4:
  • 400m IM – PB + Final – 5th (10th PB overall)
  • 200m Freestyle – PB

Summary: 13 PBs, 2 finals – outstanding performance at just 11 years old.

Elen

• Day 1:
  • 200m Backstroke – Strong swim, close to PB
  • 100m Freestyle – Solid performance
• Day 2:
  • 100m Backstroke – Good recovery swim after difficult start
• Day 3:
  • 50m Freestyle – Near PB (30.30)
• Day 4:
  • 50m Backstroke – Strong swim, just 0.5 seconds off PB

Summary: Impressive performances following recent knee injury.

Patrick

• Day 1:
  • 50m Breaststroke – Close to PB
  • 200m Freestyle – 2nd fastest time
• Day 2:
  • 100m Breaststroke – PB
  • 800m Freestyle – Strong finish after steady start
• Day 3:
  • 400m Freestyle – Strong swim under new rules
  • 200m Breaststroke – Solid performance
• Day 4:
  • 1500m Freestyle – Huge effort, Bronze Medal with 12-second PB

Summary: Excellent distance swimming progression.

Team Achievements

• Total Personal Bests: 36
• National Medals: 4 Silver | 4 Bronze

A fantastic Silver and Bronze finish in the 1500m from Thomas and Patrick capped off a brilliant week.

Special Mentions

A special mention to Thea from North Cornwall Dragons—congratulations on your first Welsh Championships. It was a pleasure spending time with you poolside.

Thank You

Finally, an enormous thank you to our incredible volunteers:

• Gary and Sarah (Officials)
• Sheryl and Kate (Team Managers)

We couldn’t have done it without you!