Jersey swimming star heading up 21-strong Commonwealth Games squad

Star swimmer Filip Nowacki is heading up a 21-strong Jersey squad at this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

The 18-year-old has just become the first British swimmer to go sub-60 seconds in all four 100 metre strokes.

It raises hopes of Jersey winning a first medal at the games since 1990, when Colin Mallett won gold in the Open Full Bore Rifle.

Jersey Chef de Mission for the 2026 Games, Jean Cross, said:

"It's so exciting. Philip is an exceptional athlete, he was with us in Trinidad (for the Youth Games in 2023) and he's swimming with young adults who he's been swimming with for years, along with Nathan, his coach, so it's really hreat to see a great cohort of young people competing together.

"He's had an exceptional year and he fully deserves all of the attention he's getting.

"A medal would be lovely, but also very conscious he's only 18 years of age and he's an exceptional athlete, but let's see. Very exciting!"

Jersey will be represented in four sports, with seven of the nine athletes competing for Jersey at the 2023 Youth Games making the step-up to the senior team.

The other athletes attending are:

• Oscar Dodds - Swimmer - Oscar has represented Jersey and Great Britain internationally, and finished 5th in the 100m and 200m backstroke, 7th in the 400m individual medley and the final of the mixed medley relay in the 2023 Youth Games.
• Matthew Deffains - Swimmer - Matthew also represented Jersey at the 2023 Youth Games, and raced at the Olympic Trials in London a year later.
• Megan Hansford - Swimmer - Megan was a finalist in the 100m backstroke at the 2023 Youth Games and also starred at the 2023 Island Games in Guernsey.
• Sam Sterry - Swimmer - Sam has won multiple British age-group championships and also represented Jersey at the 2023 Youth Games.
• Isaac Thompson - Swimmer - Sam has represented Jersey and Great Britain internationally and finished sixth in the 200m backstroke at the 2023 Island Games.
• Jamie Oldham - Track Sprinter - Jamie is also stepping up to the main event this year, he won silver for Jersey in the 2025 Island Games in Orkney.
• Hannah Sterry - Swimming - Hannah, like her brother Oscar, will represent Jersey in the swimming, she excelled in the 2023 Island Games in Guernsey, finishing 5th and 7th in the 100m and 200m breaststroke respectively.
• Isaac Dodds - Swimming - Isaac starred at the 2023 Island Games, winning seven gold medals.
• Clara Ginnis - Swimming - Clara rounds off the Jersey swimming contingent, she holds island records in the 1500m and 800m freestyle.
• Evan Campbell - Decathlon - Evan is the reigning Island Games champion in the 110m hurdles, won bronze at the UK Indoor Championships, and is set to make history alongside Lucy Woodward as Jersey's first track and field multi-eventers.
• Lucy Woodward - Heptathlon - Lucy set four personal bests in the England Athletics Combined Events Championships earlier this year and is set to make history, alongside Evan Campbell, as Jersey's first track and field multi-eventers.
• Zach Saunders - Sprinter - Zach is New-Zealand based and this will be his second Games, after competing at Birmingham 2022. He set a new Jersey Island Record of 20.71 in the 200m.
• Steven Mackay - Sprinter - Steven is the island's 100m record-holder and won bronze in last year's Island Games in Orkney.
• Ross Davis - Bowls - Ross has represented Jersey at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games and has won four British Isles Bowls Championship titles.
• Malcolm De Sousa - Bowls - Malcolm has represented Jersey at the 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 Commonwealth Games, and has won multiple British Isles Bowls Championship titles.
• Taylor Greechan - Bowls - Taylor won bronze at the 2023 Under-18 British Championships and is the son of Lyndsey and Thomas Greechan, who've won multiple gold medals representing Jersey
• Fiona Archibald, Sara Douglas & Abbey Andrieux - Bowls
• Steven Rabet - Judo - Steven is set to become Jersey's first judoka in 36 years at the games, following Chay Pike's appearance at Auckland 1990.

Jean added:

"It's great to have a real mix of athletes across the four sports. We've got seven returning from our Youth Games in 2023 and then we've got Malcolm De Sousa in bowls, who's going for his fifth successive Commonwealth Games, which is a huge achievement."