The first wave of selections for the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships confirms an initial 14-strong athlete cohort, aiming to achieve continued success on the global stage this September.
Following on from a hugely successful Paralympics campaign - which saw Great Britain’s para-swimming team ranked second on the world stage, with 18 gold, eight silver and six bronze in Paris – the culmination of an exhilarating week’s racing at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships in London has led to selection of the first 14 British athletes bound for the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore.
Among the group achieving selection at the preliminary opportunity is 11 Paralympic champions, while every single member of the experienced team has achieved previous medal success at the international level.
For Rebecca Redfern, Louise Fiddes and Ellie Challis their selection marks a fourth consecutive World Para Swimming Championships team, with Alice Tai and Tully Kearney set to bolster their own appearances in the competition to five and six respectively.
Though a number of athletes took extended breaks following last summer’s successes, Faye Rogers showed no letting up in her form as she sets out to build upon her current Women’s S10 100m Butterfly world and Paralympic titles, breaking the European mark in that event twice in addition to S10/SM10 British records in the 100m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle and 200 Individual Medley, plus a further lowering of her world leading time in the 200m Butterfly – which qualified Rogers for an Olympic pathway B Final in London.
The trio of Mark Tompsett, Iona Winnifrith and Olivia Newman-Baronius, meanwhile, will be attending their first worlds – having each claimed European titles and Paralympic medals across a breakout past 12-months. Tompsett and Winnifrith were also among the record breakers in London, respectively lowering the Men’s S14 100m Backstroke European record and Women’s SM7 200m Individual Medley British record.
Elsewhere among the week of strong swimming action, Georgia Sheffield, impressed in an eye-catching Women’s MC 100m Backstroke head-to head contest with Poppy Maskill - the most decorated British athlete of the Paris 2024 Games – to book her place back on the team for the first time since claiming a world bronze at Manchester 2023.
William Ellard and Rhys Darbey achieved individual consideration times in their key events and will also be in contention for relay places again as Great Britain bids to continue its golden record in the Mixed S14 4x100m Freestyle event, while Brock Whiston rounds out team chosen to compete in Singapore across 21st-27th September 2025 based on performances at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships.
Speaking on the selections, Aquatics GB lead for para-swimming Adam Clarke said: “We’re delighted to be in the positive position of compiling an incredibly strong foundation to the worlds team at this early stage in the season.
“Contrasting to Olympic programme counterparts, our lead in from the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships through to worlds is an elongated timeline, but we’ve taken great encouragement in both the way established performers stepped up to achieve consideration standards in London, and in the trajectory of performances seen across pathway - which bodes really well for additional selections following this summer’s Next Gen Championships, and prospects over the longer term picture of the LA 2028 Paralympic cycle.
“As always, the focus continues to be on moving on performances and being the most prepared team on reaching the international arena this September, and everything we do between now and Singapore will be working towards that.”
The Aquatics GB Para-Swimming team for the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships:
* Titles of Aquatics GB Performance Centres are shortened to 'Performance Centre' in this list
Ellie Challis (S3/SB2/SM3), Manchester Performance Centre
Rhys Darbey (S14/SB14/SM14), Cambrian Aquatics Academy
William Ellard (S14/SB14/SM14), Norwich Swan Swimming Club
Louise Fiddes (S14/SB14/SM14), Hatfield SC
Tully Kearney (S5), Loughborough University
Poppy Maskill (S14/SB14/SM14), Manchester Performance Centre
Olivia Newman-Baronius (S14/SB14/SM14), Maxwell Swim Club
Rebecca Redfern (S13/SB13/SM13), Worcester SC
Faye Rogers (S10/SB10/SM10), University of Aberdeen Performance
Georgia Sheffield (S14/SB14/SM14), Bolton Metro/Manchester Performance Centre
Alice Tai (S8/SB8/SM8), Ealing SC
Mark Tompsett (S14/SB14/SM14), Bolton Metro/Manchester Performance Centre
Brock Whiston (S8/SB8/SM8), London Disability SC/Barking & Dagenham Aquatics Club
Iona Winnifrith (S7/SB7/SM7), Tonbridge Swimming Club
