James Wilby Swimmer

  • DOB

    12 Nov 1993
  • Coach

    Dave Hemmings
  • Club

    Loughborough Performance Centre
  • Main event

    Breaststroke
  • Best result

    World Champion
  • Medals (INT/NAT)

    • 15
    • 16
    • 11
WILBY-JAMES-SWIM.png

James Wilby has won medals at Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth level as he prepares for his second Olympic appearance in Paris.

His latest international medal came as part of the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay team at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, while he played key parts in fifth-placed finishes for both men's and medley relays at the 2023 event in Fukuoka.

Wilby's time at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest saw him win a bronze medal as part of the 4x100m Medley Team. He then collected four medals with Team England at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, including a gold and a silver in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke events respectively.

The European Aquatics Championships then rounded off the summer for Wilby, with the athlete taking two medals, including a superb gold from the outside lane in the 200m Breaststroke.

James put together a set of consistent results at the 2022 British Swimming Championships, as he prepares for a third World Championships, taking silver medals in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke, topping off the meet with another British title in the 200m Breaststroke. These results will be motivating ahead of a busy summer at both the World Championships and Commonwealth Games, as he looks towards the medal positions. 

The Tokyo Olympics brought a maiden Games medal for Wilby as he was part of the team that won silver in the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay, as well as two finals appearances in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

Ahead of the Games in 2021, Wilby - one of four swimmers pre-selected by Team GB because of his individual Worlds medal two years ago - claimed an individual Men's 100m Breaststroke bronze at May's European Championships, while also helping Britain to another golden triumph in the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay. 

Wilby earned a superb individual 100m silver behind teammate Adam Peaty at Gwangju 2019, as well as helping the gold-medal winning Men's 4x100m Medley Relay team secure their finals berth, later earning a bronze in the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay. 

That followed on from more medal success across 2018, at the European Championships and Commonwealth Games. 

Wilby - who trains as part of David Hemmings' group at the Loughborough British Swimming Performance Centre - took a trio of medals on the Gold Coast to make him one of Team England's most successful swimming athletes at the Games, with gold in the 200m Breaststroke, silver in the 100m event and bronze in the 50m category. 

Later that year, two individual silver medals in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke at the Europeans in Glasgow were backed up with gold on the final day in the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay. 

His Commonwealth results were preceded by three trips to the podium at the 2018 British Championships, with gold again in the 200m Breaststroke. He took double silver over the 50m and 100m distances in Edinburgh.

The 2017 British Championships saw Wilby back on the podium - with silver and bronze in the 200m and 100m Breaststroke respectively - to earn a spot on the World Championships team. He secured a top-20 finish in the 200m event in Budapest.

Previous to that, Wilby faced illness in early 2015, a situation which hampered both his 2015 and 2016 seasons before that return to form in 2017. 

A Commonwealth Games call-up to Team England in 2014 proved fruitful for the National Centre Loughborough athlete, who was part of the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay that won gold in front of the Glasgow crowd.

James started his swimming career representing York City Baths club for many years, before his move to Loughborough University to continue his studies in Chemistry, alongside training. Graduating in 2019, Wilby is now focusing his full attention on swimming.

Long Course
Event Year Time/Score Record
50m Breaststroke 2022 27.16
100m Breaststroke 2019 58.46
200m Breaststroke 2019 2:07.49
Short Course
Event Year Time/Score Record
50m Breaststroke 2018 26.61
100m Breaststroke 2018 57.61
200m Breaststroke 2018 2:06.45
Olympic Games
Event Year Time/Score Result
4x100m Medley Relay 2021 - Tokyo 3:31.47 Silver
100m Breaststroke 2021 - Tokyo 58.96 5th
200m Breaststroke 2021 - Tokyo 2:08.19 6th
World Championships
Event Year Time/Score Result
100m Breaststroke 2024 - Doha 1:00.49 17th
Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay 2024 - Doha 3:45.09 Bronze
100m Breaststroke 2023 - Fukuoka 59.54 10th
Mixed 4x100m Medley 2023 - Fukuoka 3:43.20 5th
Men's 4x100m Medley 2023 - Fukuoka 3:30.16 5th
100m Breaststroke 2022 - Budapest 58.93 4th
200m Breaststroke 2022 - Budapest 2:09.85 10th
Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay 2022 - Budapest 3:41.65 4th
4x100m Medley Relay 2022 - Budapest 3:31.31 Bronze
100m Breaststroke 2019 - Gwangju 58.46 Silver
4x100m Medley Relay 2019 - Gwangju 3:28.10 Gold
Mixed 4x100m Medley 2019 - Gwangju 3:40.68 Bronze
200m Breaststroke 2019 - Gwangju 2:08.52 12th
200m Breaststroke 2017 - Budapest 2:11.51 18th
European Championships
Event Year Time/Score Result
50m Breaststroke 2022 - Rome 27.93 19th
100m Breaststroke 2022 - Rome 59.54 4th
200m Breaststroke 2022 - Rome 2:08.96 Gold
4x100m Medley Relay 2022 - Rome 3:33.60 4th
Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay 2022 - Rome 3:44.69 Bronze
50m Breaststroke 2021 - Budapest 27.36 13th
100m Breaststroke 2021 - Budapest 58.58 Bronze
200m Breaststroke 2021 - Budapest 2:10.34 8th
4x100m Medley Relay 2021 - Budapest 3:32.48 Gold
50m Breaststroke 2018 - Glasgow 27.44 17th
100m Breaststroke 2018 - Glasgow 58.64 Silver
200m Breaststroke 2018 - Glasgow 2:08.29 Silver
4x100m Medley Relay 2018 - Glasgow 3:30.44 Gold
Commonwealth Games
Event Year Time/Score Result
50m Breaststroke 2022 - Birmingham 27.72 6th
100m Breaststroke 2022 - Birmingham 59.25 Gold
200m Breaststroke 2022 - Birmingham 2:08.59 Silver
4x100m Medley Relay 2022 - Birmingham 3:31.80 Gold
Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay 2022 - Birmingham 3:44.03 Bronze
50m Breaststroke 2018 - Gold Coast 27.37 Bronze
100m Breaskstroke 2018 - Gold Coast 59.43 Silver
200m Breaststroke 2018 - Gold Coast 2:08.05 Gold
4x100m Medley Relay 2018 - Gold Coast 3:31.13 Silver
50m Breaststroke 2014 - Glasgow 28.60 11th
100m Breaststroke 2014 - Glasgow 1:01.07 7th
200m Breaststroke 2014 - Glasgow 2:11.53 6th
4x100m Medley Relay 2014 - Glasgow 3:31.51 Gold
British Swimming Selection Trials
Event Year Time/Score Result
100m Breaststroke 2021 - London 58.76 Silver
200m Breaststroke 2021 - London 2:08.06 Gold
Aquatics GB Swimming Championships
Event Year Time/Score Result
100m Breaststroke 2024 - London 59.47 Silver
200m Breaststroke 2024 - London 2:10.03 Gold
50m Breaststroke 2023 - Sheffield 27.62 Silver
100m Breaststroke 2023 - Sheffield 59.94 Gold
200m Breaststroke 2023 - Sheffield 2:09.88 Gold
50m Breaststroke 2022 - Sheffield 27.16 Silver
100m Breaststroke 2022 - Sheffield 59.17 Silver
200m Breaststroke 2022 - Sheffield 2:09.48 Gold
100m Breaststroke 2019 - Glasgow 58.66 Silver
200m Breaststroke 2019 - Glasgow 2:07.49 Gold
50m Breaststroke 2018 - Edinburgh 27.81 Silver
100m Breaststroke 2018 - Edinburgh 1:00.05 Silver
200m Breaststroke 2018 - Edinburgh 2:12.02 Gold
50m Breaststroke 2017 - Sheffield 28.37 6th
100m Breaststroke 2017 - Sheffield 1:00.05 Bronze
200m Breaststroke 2017 - Sheffield 2:10.01 Silver
100m Breaststroke 2016 - Glasgow 1:00.05 Bronze
200m Breaststroke 2016 - Glasgow 2:10.19 4th
100m Breaststroke 2015 - London 1:00.31 Bronze
200m Breaststroke 2015 - London 2:11.11 7th
50m Breaststroke 2014 - Glasgow 28.53 12th
100m Breaststroke 2014 - Glasgow 1:00.84 4th
200m Breaststroke 2014 - Glasgow 2:11.38 4th
200m Breaststroke 2013 - Sheffield 2:15.72 10th