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
While many of the top British swimmers are competing at the Commonwealth Games over the next few days, there were some swims at the recently wrapped up Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships that would not look out of place on the international stage.
We have already reported on the emergence of Kieran Grant, who clocked another two lifetime bests in the 50 free (21.89) and 50 fly (23.09) respectively. In the former he now ranks 4th in British history, while in the latter he ranks 3rd and is the fastest British man so far this season.
The 100 free has turned into a relatively deep event for Great Britain, with 12 active swimmers with lifetime bests under 48.60. The two most recent additions to that list are Loughborough’s Maddox Roberts and Jordan Cooley.
Roberts smashed his PB to bits during the heats of the 100 free on Sunday, clocking a time of 48.50 to hack nearly a second off his previous best of 49.42. He had already posted three swims in 2026 under the 49.55 he swam last April, which stood as his best until this year.
He went out much faster in his swim in Sheffield, flipping in 23.10 before closing in 25.40, faster on both halves of the race than the 23.72/25.70 he had swum previously. That time moves him up to 15th on the all-time British rankings
Roberts did add time in the final, clocking 48.87 for bronze after tying up in the closing meters. He was out in 23.15, right on his heats time, but closed in a slower 25.72 and was overhauled by Jordan Cooley and Alex Cohoon at the finish.
The first of those touched first, setting a new lifetime best of 48.82 to shave 0.05 seconds off the 48.87 he posted in prelims. Those were the two fastest swims of his career, and more was to come for him in the men’s 4×100 free relay.
He sliced another 0.26 seconds off with a 48.56 leading off in the heats, splitting 23.35/25.21, then swam his second fastest swim ever with a 48.79 in the final, splitting 23.50/25.29.
Both swimmers have joined Loughborough since the Paris Olympics. Cooley was previously a standout at the City of Leeds, who put freestyler Gabe Shepherd onto the English Commonwealth team as well as the British team for the European Championships later this summer, while Roberts has just finished his second year at the University of Loughborough, having previously swum for Witham Dolphins in Essex.
The pair have both dropped time at Loughborough, with Roberts going from 50.60 to 48.50 and Cooley going from 48.93 to 48.56.
With 13 swimmers under 49 seconds this season, including two under 48 seconds and six under 48.5, Great Britain looks to be building a stable of 100 freestylers as they aim to extend their 4×200 free relay success down to the 4×100 free relay. Only three of their 13 sub-49 swimmers are over the age of 25, indicating that this could be a group to grow together over the next few years.
