Swimmer's 'dream job' to focus on 2026 medals

Swimmer Oliver Morgan has said his performance is hopefully "only going to go in one direction" in the new year, after ending 2025 with record results.

Morgan won his first international medal at the European Short Course Championships in early December, taking bronze in the 100m backstroke after breaking the British record in the heats.

The 22-year-old, from Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, said he had more time to commit to training and improving his performance since graduating from the University of Birmingham.

He added he was "really enjoying it, and it's clearly working".

Morgan's transition from student to full-time athlete had given him "more time to recover and more time not to stress about uni work", he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"I just enjoy what I do. It's a dream job for me to have."

While acknowledging he was now established as a top backstroke and sprint swimmer, Morgan said the sport was "ever-changing" with a "new wave of younger swimmers" achieving faster times.

"You have to do what you can to keep moving forward, but the main focus for me is the guys on the international stage I still have to beat."

The 2024 Olympic finalist said he would have to challenge world record times to win at major meets in 2026 like the Commonwealth Games.

Finding performance tweaks down to small hand movements kept training interesting, he added.

The Glasgow games, "just up the road", will feel almost like a home event for Morgan.

"There should be a lot of support, so I'm really excited to go there and hopefully come away with some gold medals."

Away from competition, he said he was working in schools, aiming to show children the benefits of participating in sport without the pressure of "doing 10 sessions a week at 10 years old".

"Sport's about enjoyment... I've always done stuff that I enjoy, so yeah, that is what I'm doing at the moment."

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