Team GB Olympian

Representing Great Britain at the Olympic Games Rio 2016

2 Olympic Silver Medals

Double Olympic Silver Medallist in 400m & 800m Freestyle from Rio 2016

Commonwealth Champion

Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and Championship record holder.

GB Record Holder

British Long Course Record Holder in the 1,500m Freestyle and Short Course Record Holder in the 800m

European Record Holder

European Record Holder in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships

European Champion

4 time European Champion and Championship Record Holder.

The story so far...

Take a look at the journey Jazz has been on throughout her swimming career, the highs and lows and everything in between in her own words.

My love for the water

Jazz's love for water started at a young age, as a toddler she recalls visiting the local pool with her dad. He would launch her into the water, before she was even able to walk. Jazz was a natural and she was soon enrolled into the local swimming club, Tigersharks!

"I was quite an athletic child and although I tried other sports… it was always swimming that felt like home. As I grew older, I progressed through the squads and this is where I found my love for racing! I have many fond memories of my time at Tigersharks swimming club… my lessons in the pool, the friends I made and the support of all of the coaches." Phil Millard, Head Coach, would be the one to give Jazz the confidence to believe in herself and what she could achieve in this great sport.

Getting serious about swimming...

"I progressed to the British Nationals at aged 11 and although I wasn’t the fastest in my age group, I was determined to train harder and be the best. Finally in 2004, I won my first gold medal…that was it, I was hooked! But, the next step was about to take me out of my comfort zone.

At the age of 16, I made the very tough decision to move to Swansea, one of the British National Training Centres. This gave me the opportunity of more training hours and the chance to work with a coach who specialised in distance swimming. I learnt to take care of myself and juggle my increased pool training with college work. It was one of the best decisions I made in my career and I can’t thank Swim Wales and Sport Wales enough for their support."

The World Championships

"In 2009, I gained selection to my first ever GB Senior Team and headed to Rome for the World Championships. I was one of the youngest members of the team, aged only 18. This was going to be the race of my life, a 4 x 200m relay alongside my more experienced and successful teammates. Although I remember feeling nervous, I was focused and ready to race. I climbed onto the blocks and was prepared to give it my everything. Being part of this relay final was something I will never forget and walking out to a full arena was an incredible experience. My time was 2 seconds faster than I have ever swam and we came away with a Bronze medal. For my first World Championships as a Senior swimmer, to come away with a Bronze Medal was an amazing moment and I just wanted to live that feeling over and over again.

This was just the start of my Senior swimming career… from winning medals at the Commonwealth Games and British Nationals, to qualifying for the World Championships in Shanghai. In 2011 I was diagnosed with Glandular Fever and despite a plague of illness I then had a chance to qualify for the London Olympics in 2012. I was determined not to miss this great opportunity and although I managed to achieve the qualifying time finishing in 4th place, it was only the top two swimmers who were selected to represent GB. Devastating..."

Taking a break...

"Professional sport isn't easy. Pushing your body to the limit everyday, keeping fit/healthy and not really having much of a social life isn’t for everyone. I was still disappointed to have missed out on my dream to represent Great Britain at the London Olympics and I decided to take some time out of the water. It was at this point that I had my tonsils removed… something that had been causing me a lot of pain and discomfort, could this have been the root of all my illness problems? With a lot of support from family and friends, I made the decision to return to the pool… no expectations, just to give it my all and see what happens?

Starting the season off, I knew it was going to be tough returning to training after a 3 month break. This had been my longest time out of the pool since competing at national level. My hunger for success grew like never before and I knew I had far more to give to the sport. My first session in the pool was incredibly tough, it felt like my arms were burning and had bricks tied round them… every metre hurt! My hard work paid off and I qualified for the World Championships in Barcelona 2013. Unfortunately, it was another 4th place, I took the result to heart… but, I picked myself up to focus on the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014."

Time to train hard...

"I put in a great block of training (75km per week on average) and was selected to represent Wales at the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow in 2014. Then, from nowhere, my coach informed me he was relocating to Australia! I was devastated as he had been my coach for 7 years and it was only 3 months until the start of the Commonwealth Games. To maintain my training programme, I made the decision to join my coach in Perth, Australia for a period of 6 weeks. On my return to Swansea I continued to train with a stand in coach, as training with somebody new so close to competition could have a detrimental effect on my performance. It was tough. Sometimes I would be the only one in the pool… but I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of my dream of winning Gold.

In the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, I won a gold medal in the 800-metre freestyle and a silver in the 400-metre freestyle. I became the first Welsh female swimmer to win a Commonwealth title since Pat Beavan at the 1974 Commonwealth Games. This memory will be something I will never forget."

Standing on the blocks in Rio...

"As we headed towards the next Olympic trials, the overwhelming emotions began to build… I so desperately wanted to be on this Olympic team as it had been a dream of mine for so long to represent GB at an Olympics. Not only did I become British Champion, I achieved the time to qualify. I was now on my way to the Olympics! Gone was the disappointment of my previous Olympic Trials and it was like a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. Now the excitement began…

Standing on the blocks in Rio, I didn't feel the pressure, just the excitement to compete against the best in the World and to give it my everything. I smashed my first heat swim with a best time and I knew from that moment I was ready to race. I had to stay calm and make sure I recovered well for the final… Here it was, the swim I had been waiting for...my final swim. WOW, another best time! This one earned me a Silver Medal. I can’t really remember much about the race, but I can vividly picture the moment when I touched the wall… pure joy! And later that week, I managed to swim my way to another Silver Medal in the 800m Freestyle. My dreams had come true, I had competed at the Olympics and stood on the podium... twice!"

My Passion

"I have competed in various competitions over the years… there’s been tough times, but there’s also been fun ones. I have been lucky to be surrounded by so many people, who have provided me with an abundance of information, advice and skills.

Although I am no longer swimming professionally, my passion for swimming is still strong… so alongside my role as an athlete mentor for Swim Wales, I am dedicating my time to helping others and supporting them on their swimming journey. This can be from learning to swim, feeling confident or helping to achieve their personal goals.

Swim with Jazz is a bespoke platform that will give you all the tools to help improve your swimming. This will include swim specific physio videos, nutritional advice and much, much more that I have learnt throughout my swimming career. We are a team of World Class leading professionals in sport, ready to give you the best advice and support on your swimming journey.

I want to bring the fun back to your swimming!"

Meet the team

A team of World Class professionals that will be helping you on your swimming journey.

Latest from Jazz

Take a look at what Jazz gets up to and keep up to date with the latest tips and tricks in the swimming world.