Jersey’s Nowacki makes history with Commonwealth gold
Filip Nowacki, 18, has become Jersey's most decorated Commonwealth Games athlete after winning gold in the 200m breaststroke, adding to the silver he took in the 100m breaststroke days earlier. It is only the second Commonwealth gold ever won by a competitor representing Jersey, and the first since Colin Mallett's fullbore shooting victory in 1990, marking a landmark moment for the Channel Island's sporting history.
Nowacki led from start to finish, building a 0.72-second lead by the 150m mark before finishing in 2:07.87, ahead of Canada's Oliver Dawson and Australia's Zac Stubblety-Cook. The world junior and British senior champion, who has broken some of Adam Ramsay-Peaty's British junior records and beaten the former Olympic champion in the 100m breaststroke final, is being tipped as his heir apparent. Having just left Millfield School for Loughborough, he is targeting the 2028 Olympics, and his gold and silver medals have lifted Jersey's all-time Commonwealth Games medal tally by 50%, from four to six.
- Jersey's Filip Nowacki wins 200m breaststroke Commonwealth gold, aged 18
- First Jersey gold since 1990; only the island's second ever
- Tipped as heir to Adam Ramsay-Peaty ahead of 2028 Olympics
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The Commonwealth Games is a sporting competition held every four years for athletes from Commonwealth nations and territories. For smaller jurisdictions like Jersey, a Channel Island with a population of around 100,000, these Games provide significant opportunities for international sporting recognition.
Filip Nowacki is an 18-year-old swimmer from Jersey who specialises in breaststroke. He is already a world junior champion and holds several British junior records in his events, establishing himself as one of Britain's most promising swimmers in his age group.
Jersey has rarely produced internationally successful athletes, making Nowacki's medal-winning performances at the Commonwealth Games historic for the territory. At only 18, he is now transitioning to elite senior competition, with the 2028 Olympics his next major target.