Three-Time Olympic Relay Champion James Man Topped Aquatics GB Champion Athlete For 2025
Three-time Olympic relay champion James Man was topped Champion Athlete for 2025 on the Aquatics GB Awards on Saturday evening.
Since making his senior world bow on the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona, Man has been an integral a part of the British workforce, gathering Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth titles.
James Man: Photograph Courtesy: Deepbluemedia
He made his first journey to the senior worldwide podium on the 2014 Commonwealth Video games the place he received bronze within the 400 free behind Ryan Cochrane and David McKeon and and swam the heats of the medley relay to earn gold with the England quartet who went on to win the title.
The next yr he grew to become the primary British man to win a world freestyle title within the long-course pool when he got here previous Solar Yang and Ryan Lochte down the ultimate 50 to take the 200 title in Kazan, Russia.
The then 19-year-old additionally anchored the 4×2 relay to victory – changing a sure Duncan Scott within the course of – and took silver within the 400 free.
Kazan 2015 represented the beginning of a band of brothers with Man becoming a member of the likes of Scott and Adam Peaty on the Olympic and world podium ever since.
Since Kazan, Man has received three golds amongst six Olympic medals and an extra 4 world titles amongst eight extra honours. The most recent got here on the 2025 worlds in Singapore the place he joined Scott, Matt Richards and Jack McMillan because the quartet added the title to their Olympic crown. Tom Dean and Evan Jones additionally performed their components as prelims swimmers. Man additionally reached the ultimate of the person occasion the place he completed seventh.
Now Man has been recognised with the Maurice Watkins Champion Athlete Award which is a testomony to his continued legacy and he joins the likes of Peaty, Dean, Poppy Maskill, Maisie Summers-Newton, Alice Tai, Tom Daley and Jack Laugher.
Whereas unable to be current on the celebration occasion in Newport, Man was handed the trophy by his spouse, Courtney, after a coaching session earlier within the week on the Manchester Aquatics Centre.
“I simply wish to say a thanks once more for the Maurice Watkins Award, it’s an actual honour to win this yr among the many superb athletes on the market that might be celebrated this night,” mentioned Man over videolink. “That is my first time successful an Aquatics GB award – it’s a stunning acknowledgment and a credit score to all of the arduous work of the workforce round me.”
l-r: Matt Richards, James Man, Jack McMillan & Duncan Scott, Singapore 2025: Photograph Courtesy: Emily Cameron
McMillan, Dean and Jones earlier took to the stage to just accept the Swimming Athlete of the Yr on behalf of the total Singapore 2025 4x200m freestyle ensemble.
“I believe it’s actually vital we’ve received this heritage for the 4 by two. The expertise is huge – I keep in mind my first workforce years in the past in Glasgow trying as much as the likes of Calum Jarvis, Duncan [Scott] and Jimmy [Guy],” mentioned Dean. “I’ve little question Evan together with loads of different freestyler within the nation are going to get a great deal of that have sooner or later and hopefully many extra medals as a result of our relay is a drive to be reckoned with for the time being and it’s nice to be part of it.”
Man’s coach at Manchester Efficiency Centre Ryan Livingstone was named Swimming Coach of the Yr alongside Ben Higson of Stirling.
Learn extra about James Man in 2025
Filip Nowacki marked his first senior GB call-up with choice for the short-course Europeans subsequent month in Poland by being named Swimming Rising Athlete of the Yr. Nowacki has had a yr of fixed silverware. He received the 100/200 breaststroke double on the European Junior Championships with a continental junior mark of two:08.32 within the latter whereas his 59.59 PB within the 100 comfortably bettered the British age group document beforehand held by a sure Adam Peaty. There was additionally silver within the 50. The Jersey swimmer adopted that up with eight golds on the Island Video games earlier than he once more accomplished the 100/200 double on the world juniors, going 2:07.32 within the longer race to go inside 0.02 of Ross Murdoch’s British document of two:07.30 from the 2014 Commonwealth Video games.
There was additionally the return of the Contribution to Social Affect Award, with Freya Anderson and Hector Pardoe acknowledged in recognition for the constructive distinction they’re respectively making away from the elite efficiency enviornment; Hector for continued efforts in campaigning for clear water along with his ‘Three Lakes Problem’ and participation in swimming your entire size of the River Thames, and Freya for the empowering work she is delivering to younger girls by way of her FAST and Feminine challenge.
“I’m so glad for the popularity of our goal to maintain younger girls in women in sport for longer by empowering them and seeing their confidence develop on our FAST and Feminine swim clinics. I’m actually grateful to obtain this award,” mentioned Anderson.
Aquatics GB Awards 2025 winners
James Man – Maurice Watkins Champion Athlete
Poppy Maskill – Para-Swimming Athlete of the Yr, sponsored by Everybody Energetic
Males’s 4x200m Freestyle relay workforce (Matt Richards, James Man, Jack McMillan, Duncan Scott, Tom Dean and Evan Jones) – Swimming Athlete of the Yr, sponsored by Speedo
Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen – Diving Athlete of the Yr, sponsored by CSE
Ranjuo Tomblin – Creative Swimming Athlete of the Yr
Kathy Rogers – Water Polo Athlete of the Yr
Patrick Miley – Para-Swimming Coach of the Yr
Ben Higson and Ryan Livingstone – Swimming Coach of the Yr, sponsored by Sport Passport
Tom Owens – Diving Coach of the Yr
Paola Basso – Creative Swimming Coach of the Yr
Nick Hume – Water Polo Coach of the Yr
Bruce Dee – Para-Swimming Rising Athlete of the Yr, sponsored by Grey Dawes
Filip Nowacki – Swimming Rising Athlete of the Yr, sponsored by Sport Passport
Noah Penman – Diving Rising Athlete of the Yr
Freya Anderson and Hector Pardoe – Contribution to Social Affect
