Dan faces anxious wait for Commonwealth Games spot
Welshpool swimmer Dan Jones faces an anxious wait to see whether he will be included in Team Wales for this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The 29-year-old showed he is in tremendous form at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships in London over the past week, recording a new personal best and also several season’s best as he cemented his place amongst Great Britain’s leading swimmer.
But such is the incredible standard of swimming these days, his blistering times don’t guarantee a place on the final squad with the Welsh sports chiefs set to announce their squads very soon for the multi-sport event being held in Glasgow from July 23 – August 2.
“It was a great week of racing for me, I did everything I could with getting season’s best times and lifetime bests to put myself in the best position to be selected for my second Commonwealth Game, so just have to wait now,” said Dan, who is now based in Swansea.
“Swim Wales will nominate the swimmers that they would like Team Wales to select for the team and it’s an email from Team Wales to see if I have been selected for the Games in the summer.
“Thanks to everyone that’s supported me, it means a great deal, and special thanks to Rikki Lloyds Butchers and Torq Fitness who are both from the area and have been supporting me over the years.”
The Team Wales announcement is expected on June 19.
How Dan did in London:
“I managed to make the B Final where I touched the wall in 7th at 49.70. Even though I’d just missed the individual nomination time, there was still the relay spots (top 4) which were up for grabs where I sat in second position with my heat swim time and the overall time was under the nomination time.
“Two days later, I raced the 50m freestyle where I swam just outside my PB (22.58 which was the previous Welsh record) in the heats of 22.66, again just missing individual nomination of 22.42 but again I had another shot in the B final where I finished third in 22.71. But I was still 11th overall in the GB.
“On the final day, I swam 200m freestyle which was probably the most stacked event of the whole meet as Britain are double Olympic champions in this event so the depth is unbelievable!
“I did everything I could in the heats by swimming a new Personal Best of 1:49.26, which only just got me back into the B Final in an outside lane where I swam another great swim and equalled my new personal best, finishing in 8th so 16th overall.
“The commentary said that in the A final (eight swimmers) there were 15 Olympic medals between them which proves the strength. There was even an Olympic gold medallist in my B final!
“Again, like the 100m, there was a relay team to try and be on for Wales in the summer which I cemented my spot in fourth with my new personal best and that team is under the nomination time as well.”
PICTURES: Mickaël @malaper_photography_sports on Instagram
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