David Davies

He broke through the ranks to be selected for the British junior team in 2001. Davies competed at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Spain and won the silver in the 200m. He won a second silver medal as part of the 4X200m Freestyle Team.

However, it was in 2002 that Davies made a real splash in the swimming world. Davies was British Short Course Champion for the 1500m and for the first time qualified for a place on the British Senior Team competing at the European Short Course Championships in Germany, where he won silver in the 1500m Freestyle. At the European Short Course Championships in Austria Davies finished in second  place in the 1500m freestyle and won a bronze medal as part of the 4X200m Freestyle Team.

2002 was also the year when aged only 17, Davies swam for Wales at the Manchester Commonwealth Games. He caused quite a sensation when he remarkably took a staggering 50 seconds off his previous personal best in the 1500m Freestyle. Even though he finished in sixth place, his mature performance indicated that he had the medal winning potential to hold his own on the world stage.

He decided that the 1500m was his distance and decided that he would focus his training towards securing a place on the Olympic team for Athens in 2004.He made it into the World Top 15 and was voted ‘Best European Newcomer 2002’. In 2003 as part of the British team he travelled to Barcelona for the World Championships, where he just missed out on a medal with fourth place in the 1500m Freestyle.

Back in the UK Davies focused on the British Championships and Olympic Trials. Proving his continuing development in the 1500m Freestyle he won Gold in this event and set a new British Record of 14.57.93mins, he also took Bronze in the 400m Freestyle.

At the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Davies won bronze in the 1500m freestyle to claim Britain's second medal in the swimming pool.

Since Athens 2004, Davies has consistently claimed medals at World and European Championships. In 2005 Davies won a bronze medal in the World Championships 1500m freestyle, and he went one better by securing 1500m freestyle silver in the 2005 European Short Course Championships.

Davies finally struck gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in his preferred 1500m discipline. He followed this by claiming a bronze in the 400m freestyle. At the 2007 World Championships, again in Melbourne, Davies repeated his achievement of two years previously by claiming the 1500m freestyle bronze medal.

Swam anchor leg of 4x200m freestyle silver medal winning GBR team at 2008 World Short Course Championships in Manchester.

Last Updated August 2009