Making Waves on the National Stage

Darcy & Maya Shine at the ISA Swimming Finals

Before they even reached the bright lights of the National Finals, Darcy and Maya had already made quite the splash. Their journey began at the fiercely contested London West regional qualifiers, held at Surrey Sports Park. With swimmers representing more than 40 schools, the competition was intense — yet our duo powered through with style.

They swept their events, winning every race they entered: the 50m butterfly and the 50m freestyle. With two heats in each race, they outpaced 16 swimmers to claim their spots at the prestigious ISA National Finals. Not a bad warm-up.

The Finals took place at the iconic Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Aquatics Centre, a venue worthy of Britain’s top young athletes. Over 250 swimmers from independent schools across the country competed, each representing their region. Darcy and Maya proudly swam for London West — who, in a brilliant team effort, ended up winning the entire national competition. Our swimmers played a key role in that victory.

And then… the medals rolled in.

Darcy stormed through the Finals, earning National Champion in the 50m butterfly, Gold in the Medley Relay, and Gold in the Freestyle Relay — three national titles in one meet. To top it off, his relay team set a brand-new ISA national record.

Maya delivered an equally inspiring performance, racing to 3rd in the 50m freestyle, 2nd in the 50m butterfly, and 2nd in the freestyle relay. A medal in every event — an extraordinary achievement. And there was drama too: Maya’s relay team won their race but were disqualified on a technicality. An appeal has been made.

Beyond the podium moments, both swimmers spoke about what made the experience truly special. Maya reflected on the pride and excitement of the event, saying “The ISA nationals was super fun. I swam in four races and met loads of new people. It was really amazing to represent Kew House and West London and I feel really proud to have participated in the event and won medals for my races.”

She also explained the unique team dynamic: “We entered as a team of five or six swimmers from KHS and the fastest from each event went on to represent London West at Nationals. So suddenly we were part of a new team with people we didn’t know.”

“It was a really good way to get to know a new group of people and the more times you do events like this, the more confident you become,” said Darcy.

There’s already ambition brewing for next year:

“If we’re with the same people we met this year, we’ll definitely win again in Year 9!” Maya predicts.

Their journey is exactly what the ISA National Swimming Finals are all about: talent, dedication, teamwork and the joy of sport. Huge congratulations to Darcy and Maya for their phenomenal achievements — they’ve done KHS proud and inspired swimmers across the school.

Three national titles, multiple medals, a record-breaking relay, new friendships and a national team victory — a remarkable set of accomplishments from two swimmers who continue to raise the bar.