2026 AQUATICS GB NEXT GEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, July 16th – Wednesday, July 22nd
- Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield, England
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- Live Results
- Livestream
The 2026 Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships, formerly the British Summer Championships, are upon us, with the action having kicked off yesterday, Thursday, July 16th from Sheffield.
The Championships comprise seven days of racing, with swimmers selected by invitation only based on their long-course performances during the designated qualification window.
In the 13/14-year age group, the top 20-ranked swimmers in each group have been invited to compete. while the top 24-ranked swimmers in each event in the 15,16, 17 & 18-year-old age groups were invited. In the 19 years & over age group, the 20 top-ranked swimmers were invited to attend. The only exceptions to these numbers are the 800m and 1500m Freestyle events, where the top 18 swimmers were invited in all but the 19+ age group, where 16 swimmers were invited.
While Great Britain’s top-tier talent are not racing, as they prepare for this year’s Commonwealth Games, there are still a solid number of competitors we’ll keep our eye on as this domestic competition progresses.
Days 1 & 2 Highlights
Multiple swimmers appearing here are coming straight off of the European Junior Championships which wrapped up last Sunday from Munich, Germany.
Among them was Imogen Myles of RTW Monson, with the 17-year-old racing in the 50m breaststroke at this domestic affair.
Myles turned in a time of 32.09 to snag the silver behind Mt. Kelly’s Jasmine Carter who clinched gold in 31.65. Hannah Capron, another Euro Jrs athlete, wrangled up bronze in 32.22.
All three girls entered this competition having cleared the 32-second barrier, with Carter owning a PB of 31.65, Myles just ahead of her in 32.62 and Capron carrying a PB of 31.83.
The next age group up, women 19&O, saw Loughborough’s Sienna Robinson get it done for gold, hitting 31.55 to eke out the victory over runner-up Bethany Walker.
Sheffield’s Walker touched in the closest of margins, only .01 behind in 31.56, as Swansea athlete Claire Huellou rounded out the podium in 32.14.
The men took on the 400m IM, with Stirling’s David Annis getting done for gold in the 19+ category, courtesy of his outing of 4:19.30.
That got him to the wall over four seconds ahead of the pack, with his performance representing the 2nd-best of his young career.
His career-quickest remains at the 4:18.54 he established at this year’s Aquatics GB Championships to place 4th overall.
The younger set saw Romeo Ball reap gold in the 13/14-year-old category, nabbing 4:41.82 after having earned 1500m free silver on day one. In the freestyle race Ball posted 16:42.34, with Isle of Man’s Oscar Maddrell taking the top spot in 16:35.55.
15-year-old Archie McGuire as another multi-event medalist, topping his age category’s 4oom IM in 4:38.43 after snagging 1500m free silver the previous night in 16:46.18.
City of Leicester’s Jacson Crabb represented the top 15-year-old boys’ 1500m free performer, nailing a mark of 16:31.44 for the gold.
Oscar Maddrell’s on a tough back-to-back with several long swims in the Next Gen Championships immediately followed by representing the Isle of Man in the Commonwealth Games next week. A great start to his campaign in the 1500.