2026 AQUATICS GB SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, April 14th – Sunday, April 19th
- Prelims at 9:30am local (4:30am ET)/B-Finals & Junior Finals at 6pm local (1pm ET)/A-finals at 7:45pm local (2:45pm ET)
- London Aquatics Centre
- European Championships Selection Policy
- Meet Central
- Entries
- Start Lists/Live Results
- Livestream
Day 1 of the Aquatics GB Championships kicked off with the women’s 50m breast, men’s 400m free, women’s 200m fly, men’s 100m breast, and women’s 100m free. This meet acts as the selection meet for both the European Championships this summer and the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Glasgow after Victoria, Australia, pulled out of hosting last year.
Women’s 50 Breast
There were three women between 30.82 and 30.93 at the top of the women’s 50 breast, with Mount Kelly’s Gabrielle Idle-Beavers surprisingly taking the top seed in 30.82 ahead of the University of Edinburgh’s Anna Morgan (30.90) and Repton’s Imogen Clark (30.93). That was a huge PB for the junior Idle-Beavers, who dropped eight tenths of a second from her previous best of 31.63. She dips under the consideration time for England’s Commonwealth Games team with her swim here.
Anna Morgan also dropped from a strong performance, clocking 30.90 to match her second-fastest swim ever. That came in February at the British Universities Championships, before she followed up with a personal best of 30.78 at the Edinburgh International in mid-March. She took silver at this meet last year in 31.28, and looks in a great position to make a run at the Scottish squad for the Commonwealth Games.
Imogen Clark, the British Record holder with the 30.02 she swam for silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, placed 3rd in 30.93. She was 30.78 at the Derbyshire County Championships in February, but this is her second-fastest time so far this season. Theodora Taylor, a double European Junior medalist in the breaststroke events, moved safely through in 6th in 31.62, four tenths off her entry time of 31.23. She was matched by fellow 2009-born swimmer Imogen Myles, who sliced two tenths off her best time of 31.83.
Men’s 400m Free
Jack McMillan, who won gold at the European Short Course championships in the 400 free, looked smooth as he claimed top spot in the men’s 400 free this morning. The Stirling swimmer clocked 3:49.95, the only swimmer under 3:50, just edging out Luke Hornsey of Loughborough in 3:50.15.
Hornsey’s swim marked a new best time, dropping more than a second from the 3:51.52 he swam at this meet last year. The Scottish swimmer has moved to the Loughborough Performance Centre this season having previously swum at Edinburgh, and that move looks to be paying off as he claimed the second seed for tonight’s final.
James Guy, last year’s British champion, was only 6th as he swam 3:51.60. He owns the British record courtesy of the 3:43.75 he swam for world silver at the 2015 World Championships, but dropped the event as he moved towards the butterfly events. His focus is now back on the 200 and 400 free, having placed 7th at the World Championships in the former last summer.
Kieran Bird, a Tokyo Olympian in the event, was 7th in 3:52.01, while a pair of swimmers recently returned from the NCAA season just missed out. Reece Grady of ASU, the runner-up in the 500 free at the Big-12 Championships, placed 9th in 3:52.88, while Florida’s Charlie Hutchison, who placed 13th in the 500 free and 12th in the 400 IM at NCAAs, was 10th in 3:53.57.
Tyler Melbourne-Smith, last year’s silver medalist, was 5th in 3:51.44. He won gold in 3:36.09 at the Swim England Winter meet (SCM) in December, so clearly has speed and will be one to watch tonight.
Women’s 200 Fly
Three women cracked 2:10 in the women’s 200 fly, with Ciara Schlosshan taking top spot in 2:08.75. That is just 0.15 seconds away from her best time of 2:08.60, swum this February at the British Universities Championships, and is just her second time under 2:09. She was 2:10.41 in the final of this event last year, and looks in best-ever form.
Keanna MacInnes was half a second behind in 2:09.10, and will be aiming to defend her 2025 title in the event. Emily Richards was the third and final swimmer to break 2:10, clocking 2:09.55 to win the penultimate heat of the event, while Lucy Fox was half a second off her entry time in 4th in a time of 2:10.36.
Faye Rogers came within 0.01 seconds of her S10 World Record in the event which she set at this meet last year. She was 2:17.31 here, faster than she was in prelims in 2025, and will have another opportunity to break the record tonight as she qualified 16th into the ‘B’ final.
Amalie Smith, the European Junior Champion in the 200 IM and 400 IM, swam a best time of 2:12.14 for 7th.
Men’s 100 Breast
Adam Peaty blasted to a time of 59.30, #3 in the world so far this season, as he continued his comeback after taking a year out from competing last year. He was out in 27.46 before closing in 31.84, notching his fastest time since clocking 59.05 to take silver at the Paris Olympics. Peaty was 57.92 in the final of this meet two years ago, his last British Championships swim.
He sits behind only Qin Haiyang and Shin Ohashi in the world rankings for 2025-2026, and could challenge the 59-second barrier in the final tonight. He will be aiming to qualify for the European Championships team later on today, with the qualification time sitting at 59.65, although he will need to best that in the final.
He was not alone in breaking the minute barrier this morning, as both Max Morgan and Filip Nowacki swam 59-points this morning. Morgan was up first, coming just 0.05 seconds away from his PB of 59.93 to take the win in heat 9 in a time of 59.98, splitting 28.13/31.85 for just his third swim under 1:00. He was the world junior bronze medalist last year, clocking 59.93 in both the semi-final and the final.
Ahead of him there in Otopeni was Filip Nowacki, who won gold in both the 100 breast and 200 breast. He took the final heat in a time of 59.83, splitting 28.09/31.74 to edge out Archie Goodburn and break the minute barrier for the first time this season. He owns a personal best of 59.25 from his gold medal-winning swim at the World Junior Championships last summer. He now slots in at T-18th in the world this year
Greg Butler, the lone man to go under 60 seconds at the meet last year, was 4th in 1:00.21, with Archie Goodburn in 5th after touching in 1:00.73.
Women’s 100 Free
After only six women broke 55 seconds last year, we saw nine do so this morning. They were led by a surging Freya Anderson, who built through the race to touch first in the final heat in 54.05. That saw her take the win over Freya Colbert, who clocked 54.31 to take 2nd for tonight.
Leah Schlosshan dropped seven tenths of a second to notch a time of 54.36 for 3rd, while Theodora Taylor backed up her 6th-place 50 breast finish earlier in the session to place 4th in 54.59, matching her time from this meet last year. Her PB stands at the 54.20 she swam at World Juniors last summer.
Texas’ Eva Okaro made it through in 6th in 54.65, just ahead of Ohio State’s Erin Little who clocked 54.77. Another two NCAA swimmers just missed out, with Arkansas’ Harriet Rogers 9th in 54.97 and Washington State’s Darcy Revitt 10th in 55.02.
Rogers swims in S10 not S14
How good to see Medi Harris back in the pool – Looks some way off individual qualification standards but Wales look quite likely to qualify a women’s 4×1 based on this mornings swims. It would be lovely to see her make it.
Completely agree Dee. Hopefully she can continue to progress.
So, who is your money on in the 100 free Dee? All the finals are pretty open tonight.
I’m going to go with Taylor in the 100 with Colbert edging second, McMillan in the 400, Morgan in 50 breast, Adam in the 100 (though it might be close) and Keanna to hold off Ciarra in the 200 fly.
50br – Idle-Beavers… purely because it’s a name deserving of a Champion. It’ll be an absolute bun-fight.
400fr – McMillan.
200fl – Keanna.
100br – Filip… think he’ll hang close enough for 75m then pick them up late.
100fr – Another total bun-fight…Pre-meet I thought Taylor, but Anderson looked very good and I’d love her to win. Okaro often struggles in heats and drops massive time in finals, so wouldn’t totally write her off.
Love it Dee. Was just looking at Melbourne-Smith’s 400m history. He typically drops huge time from heat to final. Who knows how easy he was this morning, but I’d think 3:46 is possible for him?
Idle-Beavers is one of the great names. I wonder if she’s one of these who has seen an opportunity to focus on the 50. She’s not swam the 200 this year at all.
I think Tyler, Kieran, Jack and James are all in that 3.45-3.46 zone.
Bit wary on Kieran, but you never know. Some of the younger guys could go sub 3:50 too
It’s feasible I think that all 8 make the Commies. Annis and Wynn-Jones need to drop 3 seconds for England. Hornsey and Flynn have a very reasonable shot for Scotland. The two Welsh should be fine and McMillan obviously for NI. I assume he’s still swimming for them and not Scotland?
I thought he had switched to Scotland, but heard otherwise the other day so going on the assumption he’s still going for NI.
Peaty goes 58.45 tonight is my prediction
name checks out
I think going more or less the same time is most realistic based on the form of his recent meets he has attended. At best he sneaks just under 59, but most likely a 59:2 or 59: 3.
I know it sounds bit dumb but I hope some respectably fast times are dropped tonight as GB swimming feels quite flat lately
super flat. No performance from centres and unis. All clubs doing the real work here
I think that’s a bit harsh. We are going through a bit of a transition period, but there’s plenty of promise. I don’t think you can judge GB by US standards unfortunately. I think Stirling, Loughborough and Manchester are pulling their weight, though Millfield, Repton and Mt Kelly are all important. Bath remains the anomaly. So many swimmers have left there and improved. In fact I’m not sure I know who is left. It’s status as a PC must be in doubt, or a wholesale change in coaching is needed I would think.
The talk of a ‘transition period’ has been going on for far too long. A GB female swimmer hasn’t medalled at an Olympics since Rio 2016 – that isn’t good enough for the second best funded sport after cycling. And is there anyone beyond an ‘outside chance’ for LA? Male-side a little better – just – though there is still a lot of reliance on the 2016 / 2021 guards to deliver medals. They won’t be around forever and then it really could become a transition period. It already feels a lot like the 90s and early-00s when the global medal haul was very thin on the ground.
Should be reasonably quick tonight, I’m expecting a 2:06 from MacInnes, 58 from Peaty, at least one 53 in the Women’s 100 free.
Day 3 is the one to watch if you want really fast times though, British record is in danger in almost every event on that day.
I think just one 53 in the 100 free would be very disappointing. I expect the two Freyas and Taylor to do it, Eva is a bit of an unknown. Not sure Peaty will go much faster than this morning.
Things have been very stagnant since 2021, things felt ominous after Paris, but I think its a very exciting time. So many top class juniors coming through and, more importantly, those recently aging out are actually progressing unlike previous generations.
Article is wrong to say this is Peaty’s fastest swim since the 2024 Paris trials as he did go a 58.8 in the semi finals of the Olympics themselves
Still wild how slow that final was
So encouraging to see that from Anderson, what a torrid time she’s had of late so lovely to see some form again.
PBs from Schlosshan, Colbert and Wood are also really encouraging for those free relays – with Okaro also added in.
Huge from Idle-Beavers as England have a real hole in the women’s 100 Breaststroke so fingers to see her drop there aswell.
Hopefully some further Peaty drops in the final aswell would be amazing. A very promising heats for GB as a whole but especially England.
Agreed – I thought Anderson looked great this morning and excited to see what she can do in the final. Thought Okaro might’ve been the one to beat, but maybe she’s holding a bit back for tonight
The individual federations as you call them HAVE released selection processes with nomination times. Idle-Beavers already below the England time this morning. The Scottish times are generally a bit soft so Morgan is going to be fine.