James Wilby Swimmer

James Wilby has won medals at Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth level as he prepares for his second Olympic appearance in Paris.

His latest international medal came as part of the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay team at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, while he played key parts in fifth-placed finishes for both men's and medley relays at the 2023 event in Fukuoka.

Wilby's time at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest saw him win a bronze medal as part of the 4x100m Medley Team. He then collected four medals with Team England at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, including a gold and a silver in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke events respectively.

The European Aquatics Championships then rounded off the summer for Wilby, with the athlete taking two medals, including a superb gold from the outside lane in the 200m Breaststroke.

James put together a set of consistent results at the 2022 British Swimming Championships, as he prepares for a third World Championships, taking silver medals in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke, topping off the meet with another British title in the 200m Breaststroke. These results will be motivating ahead of a busy summer at both the World Championships and Commonwealth Games, as he looks towards the medal positions. 

The Tokyo Olympics brought a maiden Games medal for Wilby as he was part of the team that won silver in the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay, as well as two finals appearances in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

Ahead of the Games in 2021, Wilby - one of four swimmers pre-selected by Team GB because of his individual Worlds medal two years ago - claimed an individual Men's 100m Breaststroke bronze at May's European Championships, while also helping Britain to another golden triumph in the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay. 

Wilby earned a superb individual 100m silver behind teammate Adam Peaty at Gwangju 2019, as well as helping the gold-medal winning Men's 4x100m Medley Relay team secure their finals berth, later earning a bronze in the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay. 

That followed on from more medal success across 2018, at the European Championships and Commonwealth Games. 

Wilby - who trains as part of David Hemmings' group at the Loughborough British Swimming Performance Centre - took a trio of medals on the Gold Coast to make him one of Team England's most successful swimming athletes at the Games, with gold in the 200m Breaststroke, silver in the 100m event and bronze in the 50m category. 

Later that year, two individual silver medals in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke at the Europeans in Glasgow were backed up with gold on the final day in the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay. 

His Commonwealth results were preceded by three trips to the podium at the 2018 British Championships, with gold again in the 200m Breaststroke. He took double silver over the 50m and 100m distances in Edinburgh.

The 2017 British Championships saw Wilby back on the podium - with silver and bronze in the 200m and 100m Breaststroke respectively - to earn a spot on the World Championships team. He secured a top-20 finish in the 200m event in Budapest.

Previous to that, Wilby faced illness in early 2015, a situation which hampered both his 2015 and 2016 seasons before that return to form in 2017. 

A Commonwealth Games call-up to Team England in 2014 proved fruitful for the National Centre Loughborough athlete, who was part of the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay that won gold in front of the Glasgow crowd.

James started his swimming career representing York City Baths club for many years, before his move to Loughborough University to continue his studies in Chemistry, alongside training. Graduating in 2019, Wilby is now focusing his full attention on swimming.