Tyler Melbourne-Smith On His Report-Breaking Feats & Coaching Alongside Olympic Elite
Tyler Melbourne-Smith rewrote the Welsh and British short-course document books on the current Swim England Winter Nationwide Championships at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.
The 20-year-old posted a time of three:36.09 within the 400m freestyle to go high of the 2025 world rankings the place he dislodged Australian Sam Brief.
It might have earned Melbourne-Smith gold on the European Brief Course Championships in Lublin, Poland, in early December.
Tyler Melbourne-Smith: Picture Courtesy: Swim Wales
Solely Duncan Scott has gone faster amongst British males together with his nationwide document of three:34.46 as Melbourne-Smith elevated himself to Tenth-fastest European all-time.
He was again within the water for the 800 free the place he got here house in 7:33.56 to take 2.7secs off the British document of seven:36.26 that had stood to Kieran Chook since December 2023.
Melbourne-Smith is coached by Andi Manley on the College of Loughborough the place he’ll graduate with an Worldwide Enterprise diploma in 2027.
Whereas a profitable coaching block indicated he was on good type, he was nonetheless just a little stunned by his performances.
“I used to be simply pleased as a result of I’ve been coaching at a reasonably good stage since becoming a member of Loughborough and I’ve taken a large leap in coaching,” he instructed Swimming World. “I believe it was an excellent reflection to see the place I’m at. The previous few years I’ve been coaching at so much increased stage than what I’ve been racing at so it’s good that I can take a step up.”
A number of days after his exploits in Sheffield, Melbourne-Smith swept the 200, 400 and 800 free titles on the Swim Wales Winter Nationals in Swansea, regardless of contending with a chilly.
His profitable time of 1:47.46 within the 200 free noticed him qualify to signify Crew Wales at subsequent 12 months’s Commonwealth Video games in Glasgow.
Sharing The Pool With Olympic Champion Wiffen
Till earlier this 12 months, Melbourne-Smith shared the Loughborough pool with Olympic 800 free champion Daniel Wiffen and world quick course medallist Lucas Henveaux till the pair left for Cal-Berkeley in California. Felix Auboeck, the 2021 400 free short-course world champion, was additionally a part of the group and retired in April this 12 months.
“I used to be good associates with Dan on the pool,” mentioned Melbourne-Smith. “He’s at all times been an excellent mentor.
“As quickly as I joined Loughborough you get to see there’s a large hole between junior age group swimming to the elite high of the highest. After I joined I used to be like wow, I simply need to race every thing even when I knew I couldn’t sustain a whole lot of the time.
Andi Manley: Picture Courtesy: Swim England
“If you’ve obtained a gaggle of excellent swimmers who all maintain one another accountable in coaching it means if somebody is lagging that day, they’ll inform you otherwise you’ll inform them. I really feel like while you prepare with faster swimmers, you’re going to get faster if you happen to’re pushing one another so I believe that was good.”
Born in Warrington, Melbourne-Smith moved to Dubai when he was three weeks previous. He took to the water instantly and joined Hamilton Aquatics earlier than the household returned to Cheshire when he was about seven and a half.
He spent round 18 months at Ellesmere Titans earlier than going to Warriors of Warrington after which Metropolis of Liverpool the place he was coached by Mike Roberts.
Roberts had a fantastic profession in Liverpool, guiding the likes of Fran Halsall, James Man and Michael Rock and he made a huge impact on the younger Melbourne-Smith.
“The most effective coach I had as a junior could be Mike Roberts,” he mentioned. “I’d say among the best coaches I’ve had. He was coming in the direction of the tip of his teaching profession and after I left he retired. His information of swimming was high, it was at an elite stage. coach to be trustworthy.”
Melbourne-Smith helps Manchester United however swimming has solely ever been the game for him.
“I’ve at all times liked coaching and racing,” he mentioned. “The most effective factor about swimming is competitors, that’s the factor I like essentially the most, racing and competing. That’s why you get up every single day, early mornings. You commit a whole lot of time with swimming to race at the most effective of your capability.”
Wanting Forward To His Commonwealth Debut
Looking forward to 2026 the place he heads to the British Championships in April because the reigning 800 free champion.
Melbourne-Smith – whose grandmother Claire hailed from Cardiff – will then set sail for Tollcross the place he’ll make his Commonwealth debut, three years after the 800/1500 double on the Commonwealth Youth Video games in Trinidad and Tobago.
There he’ll reunite with Wiffen in addition to going through the likes of Australian trio Brief, Elijah Winnington and Ed Somerville, McMillan of Northern Eire, Englishmen Man and Tom Dean in addition to Scott who’ll be backed by a vociferous Glasgow crowd.
He’s additionally set to be a part of the Wales 4×200 free relay alongside two-time Olympic champion Matt Richards.
Not that he’s placing any stress on himself, saying: “I believe I’ve simply obtained to go there and do my finest and attempt to see what I can do, (towards) a number of the finest swimmers on this planet. I wouldn’t say there’s a large expectation on me: I can go there and attempt to shock a number of folks and see what I can do.”
