Three Torfaen Dolphins swimmers are competing for Wales at the Commonwealth Games.
The trio headed to Stirling University on Wednesday 16 July for a six-day final training camp before they transfer to Glasgow.
Theodora Taylor
Theodora Taylor, 17, is in the 50m front crawl, 100m front crawl, 50m butterfly, and 100m breaststroke.
She said: “I’m really excited to be able to represent Wales in Glasgow. It’s great because my family can come and watch, which is something they haven’t really been able to do before, so I’m excited to be able to race with them watching.”
She said her family and friends are “proud” of her and joked that: “My friends’ mum’s reply to my [Instagram] stories saying ‘well done’.
“It’s a really big meet and I’m honoured to be able to represent Wales.”
Meghan Willis
Meghan Willis, 18, is in the 100m back crawl and 100 freestyle in the S9 para swimming category. She competed at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. She said she felt both “surreal” and “ecstatic” getting selected again for Wales.
“I still feel the same as I did four years ago, really excited and I’m just ready to go there and race. I feel like it means so much more this time because I’m older now. I feel like I’m at the age where I’m going and it’s going to mean business.
“It’s not just going to go and like experience.
“It’s really lovely this time having people my age, so I think the team feels like so much closer because there’s a lot of younger athletes compared to last time.”
Dylan Broom
Dylan Broom will compete in the 200m freestyle in the S14 para swimming category.
Tom Croke, coach
Tom Croke, head coach at Torfaen Dolphins and Team Wales coach, said: “This is going to be fantastic. To get swimmers regularly now competing for Torfaen Dolphins at the Commonwealth Games is a massive accolade for the club, for the swimmers and for us as a community in Torfaen.
“I’d probably say they spend their lives here in PALC (Pontypool Active Living Centre) training and swimming. So they swim, school, eat, swim, school, eat is what they do.
“I can’t wait. It’s the first Commonwealth Games for me as a coach. I’m excited to be part of Team Wales. Hopefully, we win some medals and bring some back.”
Tom was selected as Team Wales for the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games in Tobago.