02/08/2026
And that’s the end of the race season and what an incredible week for Newtown Swimming Club at the Swim Wales Summer Championship.
This season, 10 Newtown swimmers achieved an outstanding 61 qualifying times for the Swim Wales Summer Championships, an incredible accomplishment for our club. Simply qualifying to compete at this level is something to be immensely proud of, and our swimmers certainly made the most of the opportunity.
Firstly, a huge congratulations to every one of our swimmers. To step onto one of the biggest stages in Welsh swimming and produce so many personal bests, finals and medals is a testament to the hard work, commitment and determination shown throughout the season.
Our swimmers achieved an amazing collection of performances:
🏅 Archie – 4 Personal Bests in the 50m Breaststroke, 100m Breaststroke, 200m Breaststroke (earning First Reserve for the final) and 50m Freestyle.
🏅 Harry – 2 Personal Bests in the 50m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke.
🏅 Betsi – 5 Personal Bests in the 50m Breaststroke, 100m Breaststroke, 100m Backstroke, 200m Individual Medley and 200m Breaststroke. Betsi also qualified for the 200m Breaststroke final, produced another PB and finished an outstanding 8th.
🏅 Molly – Continued to improve with 2 Personal Bests and excellent performances across all her events: 100m Backstroke, 200m Backstroke, 50m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle and 200m Individual Medley.
🥇 Rene – had 3 lovely races in the 100m Backstroke qualifying for the final and placing 7th, 50m Butterfly and 50m Freestyle before qualifying for the 50m Backstroke final, swimming a PB and becoming Swim Wales Summer Champion, taking home the gold medal.🥇
🏅 Layla – An incredible 10 Personal Bests across the championships in the 50m Breaststroke, 100m Backstroke, 100m Freestyle, 200m Individual Medley, 50m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke, 200m Backstroke, 200m Butterfly, 50m Butterfly and 100m Butterfly. Layla qualified for three finals, producing even more PBs to finish 🥉 Bronze medallist in the 200m Butterfly, 6th in the 100m Butterfly, and 8th in the 50m Butterfly.
While medals and finals are fantastic achievements, what makes us most proud is seeing every swimmer stand up under pressure, trust their training and race with determination. Every early morning, every tough set and every small improvement throughout the season has led to this moment.
As a club, we have just 5½ hours of pool time each week:
1½ hours on Monday
1 hour on Tuesday
2 hours on Thursday
1 hour early on Saturday morning
Many clubs train for double or even triple that amount of time, but we've always believed it's not just about the number of hours, it's about making every minute count. Every session has a purpose. Harder sessions build endurance, resilience and race fitness, while our lighter sessions are just as important, focusing on technique, skills, efficiency and race preparation. Saturday mornings, despite the early start, are often dedicated to refining those vital technical details that make the difference between good swimmers and great swimmers. The results this week have shown that quality coaching, focused training and committed swimmers can achieve incredible things.
A massive thank you goes to all of our coaches who give up so much of their own time, week after week, to help these swimmers develop, not only as athletes but as young people.
A special thank you to Lee for the countless hours spent planning training programmes and sets throughout the season, ensuring every session has purpose, progression and the right balance of hard work and technical development. Thank you also to Kate, Beccie and Lee for all your support poolside during the championships. Having coaches there to encourage, reassure and guide our swimmers throughout such a demanding week (and it is demanding) makes an enormous difference.
We would also like to thank all of our parents and families. Thank you for the early mornings, the late nights, the travelling, the volunteering and the constant encouragement. Swimming is very much a team effort, and your support allows these young athletes to chase their goals.
Finally, to every swimmer: whether you came home with a medal, a finalist or simply a new Personal Best, remember this, your biggest competition is the person you were yesterday. Every PB represents progress, every race is a lesson, and every championship is another step forward. Be proud of yourselves because everyone at Newtown Swimming Club certainly is.
We couldn't be prouder of what you've achieved together. Congratulations on a fantastic Swim Wales Summer Championships, now enjoy a well-earned rest before we begin building towards the next swim season.
Big thanks to Swim Wales for a well run event and to all the volunteer officials who made this happen.
