The biennial multi-sport event brought young athletes together from across Europe for six days of sporting action in North Macedonia.
[Images courtesy of European Olympic Committee, Skopje 2025 and Team GB]
Running from the 20th–26th July, Team GB took a team of 16 swimmers to the 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), with Austyn Manley bestowed the honour of being one of the flagbearers for the opening ceremony in Skopje.
Getting the medal count off to a flying start, Lois Child secured a stunning silver medal in the Women’s 400m Individual Medley – producing a nine-second improvement from her entry time to get Team GB on the podium in the first final of the whole competition.
"That is such a hard event, so it feels amazing to get the medal. I wasn’t expecting that result at all, but I’m so pleased with my performance,” said Child
“Getting second and standing on the podium doesn’t feel real at all. I’m really happy to have got that first medal and hope it’s the start of many more to come for Team GB.”
Another three medals followed quickly on day two, with Darcey Smith’s impressive finish taking her to victory in the Women’s 200m backstroke, whilst Patryk Przyczyna secured a superb silver in Men’s 100m backstroke, and the Mixed 4x100m Freestyle relay team of Child, Manley, Lydia Cordle, Przyczyna, Lili Mundell and Nikolai Sisnett battled their way through the heats and final to achieve bronze.
About her gold, Smith commented: “Having qualified in first, I was feeling confident, so to back that up feels even better. I'm delighted."
Marking the halfway point of Skopje 2025 in style, Team GB's swimmers added two more medals to the tally. Manley laid claim to both, first securing an individual victory in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley, then helping Sisnett, Przyczyna and Xander Tovey to a stellar silver in the Men’s 4x100m Freestyle relay.
The pool continued to be a centre for success on the penultimate night of the swimming competition programme as Cordle, the Mixed 4x100m Medley relay team and Manley brought home a trio of medals for the team.
Cordle impressed with a silver in the Women’s 100m Butterfly, before joining the relay quartet of Child, Tyler Stone and Przyczyna to narrowly missed out on top spot in a tight battle for the wall – while Austyn staged a magnificent comeback in the Men’s 200m Backstroke to claim his second gold, and fourth medal, of the Festival.
On the final night of swimming action, joy came for Team GB once more as Josie Lawn came second and secured her first medal of the festival in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke and the Men’s 4x100m Medley relay team of Manley, Przycznya, Sisnett and Stone claimed a well-earned bronze medal.
Lawn reflected: “I’ve been working really hard all week for this moment and I’m so happy to have won myself a medal.”
Manley, who Team GB’s most decorated swimmier of the festival with five medals added:
“Winning this many medals really confirms that I’m doing the right things and encourages me to keep training hard.
“To be able to say that I have five medals at an international event is crazy. I can’t really find the words to describe how that makes me feel.”
Britain’s swimmers claimed 11 medals over five days of competition, as Team GB finished Skopje 2025 fifth in the medal table, winning 22 medals - ten gold, seven silver and five bronze.
The next edition of the summer European Youth Olympic Festival will be hosted in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy in 2027.
For more on Team GB at the Skopje 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival click here.