Backstroke brilliance helps University of Bath swimmers secure 14 medals at 2025 Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships
Sporting scholar Matthew Ward won four gold medals and there was a title double for fellow University of Bath student Niamh Ward at the 2025 Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships in Sheffield.
Olympian Jacob Peters also topped the podium as University-based swimmers finished the meet – formerly the British Summer Championships – with 14 medals in total.
Matthew Ward, an Integrated Mechanical and Electrical Engineering student supported by a Bill Whiteley Scholarship, dominated the men’s backstroke events as he struck gold over 50m, 100m and 200m.
The sprint final saw him beat Aquatics GB Bath Performance Centre team-mate and fellow sporting scholar Jack Skerry to the title, while Ward was the only swimmer to go under two minutes in the 200m final – as he was while winning his fourth gold medal of the week in the 200m individual medley.
Civil Engineering student Niamh Ward, a member of the University’s Student Performance Sport swimming squad, also went close to completing a title treble in the women’s backstroke events as she won 50m and 200m gold plus 100m silver.
Peters took the men’s 50m butterfly crown having previously finished joint third in an incredibly tight 100m butterfly final which saw Alumni Fund Sporting Scholar Joshua Gammon win silver, just two tenths of a second separating the top four finishers.
Economics and Mathematics graduate Leah Crisp, who competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, won 1,500m freestyle silver and Team Bath AS para-swimmer Nancy Jubb was second in the MC 50m butterfly final after delivering a huge personal best.
Bronze medals went to two Sports Performance students – Jess Podger in the 400m freestyle and Hubert Gdaniec behind Matthew Ward in the 200m backstroke.
Also reaching finals during the week were Will Godsell, Holly Hibbott, Anna Farrow and Cora Lanham.
Find out more about the swimming programme at the University of Bath by visiting teambath.com/swimming.
2025 Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships roll of honour
Gold
- Matthew Ward: 50m backstroke, 24.94; 100m backstroke, 54.00; 200m IM, 1:59.04; 200m backstroke, 1:58.81.
- Niamh Ward: 200m backstroke, 2:11.75; 50m backstroke, 29.14.
- Jacob Peters: 50m butterfly, 23.26.
Silver
- Jack Skerry: 50m backstroke, 25.47.
- Niamh Ward: 100m backstroke, 1:02.61.
- Joshua Gammon: 100m butterfly, 52.44.
- Leah Crisp (alumna): 1,500m freestyle, 16:48.33.
- Nancy Jubb (Team Bath AS): MC 50m butterfly, 40.69.
Bronze
- Jacob Peters: 100m butterfly, 52.58.
- Jessica Podger: 400m freestyle, 4:15.69.
- Hubert Gdaniec: 200m backstroke, 2:02.98.
Other finalists
- Will Godsell: 100m breaststroke, 4th, 1:03.04; 50m breaststroke, 10th, 29.05.
- Holly Hibbott: 100m freestyle, 4th, 1:00.52; 200m freestyle, 5th, 2:02.25.
- Jessica Podger: 200m freestyle, 4th, 2:01.68; 100m freestyle, 9th, 58.27.
- Anna Farrow: 400m IM, 5th, 5:01.30; 200m IM, 8th, 2:20.98.
- Nancy Jubb: MC 100m freestyle, 5th, 1:17.69; MC 50m freestyle, 6th, 36.70.
- Cora Lanham: 200m breaststroke, 6th, 2:35.44; 100m breaststroke, 7th, 1:11.29.
