Nathan Wiffen Strikes Gold To Open 2025 Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships

2025 AQUATICS GB NEXT GEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Saturday, July 19th – Friday, July 25th
• Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield, England
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Entries
• SwimSwam Preview
• Live Results

The 2025 Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships, formerly the British Summer Championships, kicked off last night in 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.

The first day saw timed finals of the men’s and women’s 1500m freestyle events, with Nathan Wiffen of Loughborough topping the former’s podium in a time of 15:08.35.

24-year-old Wiffen, a Cal commit and twin brother of Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen, beat the field handily. The next-closest competitor was represented by Loughborough teammate Sean McCann who clocked 15:22.86 while Swansea’s Alexander Sargeant rounded out the top 3 finishers in 15:30.87.

As for Wiffen, his performance ranks as the 2nd-best of his career, one which boasts a top time of 15:06.48 from last year’s Irish Open.

Wycombe District’s Ella Dyson was the top performer in the women’s edition of the 1500m free, registering a gold medal-worthy time of 16:39.94.

Dyson was the decisive victor, as Loughborough’s Leah Crisp finished nearly 9 seconds behind in 16:48.33. Swansea picked up another bronze, courtesy of Emily Forwood who touched in 17:15.51.

Dyson’s 16:39.94 effort checks in as the 21-year-old’s fastest performance to date, overtaking her previous PB of 16:53.59 notched at April’s Pro Swim Series in Sacramento.

Crisp is Great Britain’s 13th-swiftest performer of all-time, owning a lifetime best of 16:30.19 from the British Universities & Colleges (BUCS) Championships in February of this year.