Sixth Form Swimmers Ben and Harry Amongst Best in Britain

Two King’s Sixth Form pupils, Ben G and Harry C, achieved a string of personal bests against the best swimmers in Great Britain at the prestigious 2026 Aquatics GB British Swimming Championships recently.

As the highest level of domestic competition in Great Britain, these Championships, held at the Olympic Pool in London, attract the very best swimmers from across the country, including several Olympic and World champions. Simply achieving qualification for this event is an outstanding accomplishment, making Ben and Harry’s success even more impressive, particularly as they both qualified across multiple strokes and distances.

Ben had secured qualification in the 50m Freestyle and both the 50m and 100m Butterfly, while Harry qualified in an exceptional five events: the 100m and 400m Freestyle, alongside the 50m, 100m, and 200m Butterfly.

Ben delivered a series of outstanding swims, once again breaking the 24-second barrier in the 50m Freestyle – an exceptional achievement in a long course pool. He also recorded personal bests in both butterfly events, posting 25.20 in the 50m Butterfly and an impressive 56.65 in the 100m Butterfly. These performances placed him 54th, 69th, and 89th in Great Britain in the 50m Butterfly, 100m Butterfly, and 50m Freestyle respectively.

Harry, despite a frustrating swim in the 400m Freestyle, produced a series of superb performances. He came within one tenth of a second of his personal best in the 100m Freestyle, before excelling in his butterfly events, achieving a personal best time in both the 50m and 100m. He finished an outstanding 28th in Great Britain in the 100m Butterfly, dipping under the 55-second mark with a time of 54.74, and finished 39th in Great Britain in both the 50m and 200m Butterfly.

These results earned Harry qualification for the Junior Finals in all three butterfly events – a truly exceptional achievement at this level. He went on to place 6th, 8th, and 6th in the 50m, 100m, and 200m Butterfly finals respectively, underlining his consistency and competitive strength.

Both Ben and Harry’s performances are a testament to their hard work, dedication, talent and commitment to their sport, especially while balancing the demands of full-time education.

King’s is immensely proud of their achievements. As this marks their final appearance at the British Championships as King’s pupils, the school wishes both Harry and Ben every success as they progress to elite training programmes at their respective universities. Their journeys will undoubtedly continue to inspire the King’s community, and we look forward to following their future successes.