Image above: Filip Nowacki, Aquatics GB Emerging Athlete of the Year
Millfield enjoyed outstanding success at the 2025 Aquatics GB Awards, where past and present students and coaches were recognised with numerous accolades.
The Aquatics GB Awards celebrate the 2025 season of aquatics disciplines, which peaked with the World Aquatics and World Para Swimming in Singapore, as well as outstanding performances at some major junior international events.
Upper Sixth student Filip Nowacki was named as Aquatic GBs Emerging Athlete of the Year for 2025, at the event in Newport. 18-year-old Filip, who is from Jersey, received his award following an exceptional year of success in the pool. A gold medal swim in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke at the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Romania was preceded by a record breaking European Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in July. In the process of claiming 200m Breaststroke gold, Filip twice broke the Championship Record, and broke the European Junior Record, with a time that would have placed him fourth in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Filip backed up these performances as he won gold in the 4x100m Mixed Medley relay with Team GB, gold in the 4x100m Men’s Relay, and broke Adam Peaty’s British Junior Record on the way to gold in the 100m Breaststroke.
Filip was supported at the event by Millfield Head of Swimming Keiron Piper, who was also recently the recipient of the British Coaches Swimming Associtation Youth Coach of the Year and Coaching Excellence of the Year awards. Both Keiron and Filip have been selected to represent GB at the upcoming European Short Course Championships, which is Filip’s first senior British call up. Keiron said, “Filip’s dedication, inquisitive nature and enthusiasm have truly shone through this season, and he now rounds off an incredible year with his first senior GB selection.”
Caption: Filip Nowacki and Millfield Head of Swimming Keiron Piper attend the Aquatics GB Awards
Accolades were also received by former Millfield staff and students. Former Millfield Perfomance coach Ryan Livingstone was joint winner of the Coach of the Year award while Old Millfieldians Evan Jones, Matt Richards and James Guy were joint winners of the Athlete of the Year award (as part of the World Championships winning 4x200m Freestyle Relay Team). OM James Guy was the recipient of the prestigious Maurice Watkins Champion Athlete of the Year, recognised for his consistent elite level performances for over a decade, particularly within the Men’s Freestyle team where he has claimed two Olympic gold medals, and triumphed in the World Championships in Singapore this summer.
Millfield Swimming has supported the journey of 33 Olympians in its short history, and has had a swimmer at every Olympics since 1968 including champions like Duncan Goodhew, Mark Foster and James Guy.