Fifth Year student Thomas made a splash this summer, placing third in England and fourth in Britain at the Swim England Open Water National Age Group Championships.
The championships, held in July at the Rother Valley Country Park, are the pinnacle of national competition for U18 swimmers, attracting the best young athletes from across the country. Thomas qualified after taking first place in the London Regional Championships, where he competed in the 3km event before moving up to a challenging 5km race at the nationals.
“I only started open water swimming in 2025 after previously doing pool swimming,” Thomas explained. “The race at Nationals was only my second ever event. I enjoy it because I love both swimming and being outside in nature, and open water swimming is a perfect combination of the two.”
The 5km race took Thomas just 55 and a half minutes to complete, a brilliant performance for a newcomer to the discipline. He now hopes to return to the competition next summer and improve on his result.
“I’d love to place even higher next year,” he said. “It’s something I’m really enjoying and want to keep improving at.”
Thomas trains in Trinity’s pool and with Beckenham Swimming Club, where his coach first encouraged him to try open water swimming. He also represents Trinity in both swimming and water polo, balancing his club and school commitments.
Well done Thomas!
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According to Swim England, there are:
Open water swim training can result in a natural increase in the levels of a certain hormone called prolactin in the body which may help to improve the quality of your sleep.
Other hormones that stimulate the thyroid have been shown to be increased by more than 50 per cent after swimming. This has all kinds of benefits on regulating weight, body temperature, muscle strength but also can improve your mood, making you both healthier and happier.
Open water swim training in colder water can reduce the potential over-production of certain hormones that can contribute to impaired immunity, in effect making your more body more robust and resistant to infection.
Cold water and open water swim training can make other systems of your body more efficient and more effective, improving your body’s defensive response to damage and therefore potentially reducing your risk of cancer, neurological disorders and chronic respiratory disease. It and can also help to improve the management of asthma and Type 2 Diabetes.
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