Swimming Success
Concord’s Form 6.1 student, Rishabh, has been celebrating success in two swimming competitions recently.
Rishabh competed in the West Midlands Regional Championships where he raced the 50-metre butterfly and placed 14th in his age group. What is so impressive about this achievement is the fact that there were around 300 competitors in his age group! He was one of only two people who qualified from Concord’s local town of Shrewsbury.
His triumph in this event means he has qualified for both the upcoming summer and winter regional events in May and November this year which will be held at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre.
For Rishabh, a really special moment from the event was meeting GB Olympic swimmer Oliver Morgan, one of Rishabh’s idols, who was using the pool prior to Rishabh’s race as part of his training for the 2028 Olympics.
Additionally, soon after this event Rishabh went on to win an incredible six gold medals at the Shrewsbury Club Championships!
In the lead-up to both of these events, he was training three to four times per week while balancing his academic studies; a true display of drive and determination.
Rishabh, who is part of Concord College’s Elite Sports Programme, attributed part of his success to the support he received through the programme: ‘we received reports on the exercises that would help our performance and once I worked on them they really helped my mobility, especially during my turns’.
When asked about how he got into swimming and what it means to him, he said ‘I’m from India and England, and I moved to Singapore when I was young. I started swimming when I was 5 and competitively since I was 8. Growing up, I was inspired by the determination of my teammates, which made me want to pursue swimming. My most memorable achievement was competing in Singaporean nationals and placing top 5 in my age group.’
In these recent competitions he admits he has also been fuelled by his competitive relationship with his older brother who graduated Concord this year and is very proud of Rishabh’s achievements.
Concord Sports Hall Manager Mr Harrison commented ‘We are delighted to have Rishabh as part of our Elite Sports Programme for 2026, he is a dedicated and highly focused student. We’re so proud of his achievements in the West Midlands Regional Championships and the Shrewsbury Club Championships.’
Also among the list of those that are proud of Rishabh’s achievements is his swimming club in Singapore. Rishabh and his brother have been members of the club since they were ten & twelve and in the six years since they have climbed up from the bottom ‘junior’ level all the way to the top ‘gold’ level. Rishabh goes back there to train each summer and they excited to celebrate with him when he next returns.
Rishabh returned to Concord this term feeling inspired to push his limits even further and to continue growing into a stronger and better swimmer. This has already been proven through his involvement in Concord’s recent ‘Swim24’ charity event in which students kept 3 lanes of the campus pool swimming for 24 hours straight. He himself managed to swim a total of 4 hours!
Concord joins him in celebrating his great success, and the college is excited to continue aiding his development this year within the Elite Sports Programme.
