McFadzen reflects on Commonwealth Games

Swimmer James McFadzen made his Team England debut in front of a sell-out home crowd at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

McFadzen swam a personal best to reach the semi-finals of the 100m backstroke, finishing 14th overall, and qualified for the final of the 200m individual medley, finishing seventh.

“I was so excited going into a home Games, but nothing could’ve prepared me for how electric it was,” McFadzen said.

“To have 6,000 people cheering for me, it didn’t matter if they’d never heard of me before, they saw the England hat and screamed for me all the way.

“I swam two pbs in the backstroke, it’s not my best event, I didn’t make the final but was really pleased with how it went.

“I had to wait a few days until the individual medley, the backstroke was on the first day and it was one of the last events on day six, the final day.

“I had a massive support crew of extended family and friends come and watch, that was special.

“I was seeded ninth, so I wasn’t meant to be in the final based on seeding, but I scraped in.

“If I’m honest my time in the final wasn’t great, it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, but as an experience overall I can’t be too down about it.

“I loved every second, it made me hungry for more.”

McFadzen, 23, is still cherishing dreams of making a splash in the Olympic pool in Paris 2024.

He'll have to overcome at least one of Duncan Scott, whose gold in the 200m individual medley was one of six he won at the Games and Tom Dean, double Olympic gold medallist in Tokyo.

“It’s difficult, the Olympics are my goal, I’ve got to get top two in Britain, that’s the hardest part,” he said.

“A lot can happen in two years, I won’t shy away from the fact that that’s my target, the Olympics is a dream.”

For now, McFadzen can enjoy a well earned rest before he returns to the pool next month – the hard work is only just beginning.