Filip Nowacki: Jersey swimmer has Olympic potential says Tigers coach Nathan Jegou

Filip Nowacki is one of the best young breaststroke swimmers in Great Britain

Jersey swimmer Filip Nowacki has the potential to make the Olympic Games, his coach has said.

The 16-year-old broke the 100m breaststroke record in the heats at last week's British Championships.

Nowacki won three medals at last year's Commonwealth Youth Games and also won a European Youth Olympics silver medal.

"If you are good at your sport and professional, and if you listen to the people around you, everything's possible," his coach Nathan Jegou said.

"I think from his perspective he's at a good age as he's 16 now, in four years time he'll be 20 and in eight years time he'll be 24, which is peak age at swimming.

"You could argue the next two cycles are really important to him and his swimming career, if that's something he wants to to choose," he told BBC Sport.

Nowacki was beaten by Olympic champion Adam Peaty in the final and he is hopeful his performances at the London Aquatic Centre will be enough to earn him selection for the European Junior Championships later this year.

Should the Commonwealth Games go ahead in 2026 he would also likely be part of Jersey's team and is preparing to leave Jersey to move to Millfield School in the summer, where Olympic champions James Guy and Matt Richards have honed their craft.

"He's broken a British junior record which is under 16, he's broken two age group records and he's done some short course age group records in the winter, so that would tell us that he's on a good pathway," Tigers Swimming Club head coach Jegou added.

"He's got a good level head on him. He knows it's a long journey, it's not all about tomorrow.

"He thinks ahead and he has a good lad that's a little bit younger than him who's following him and breaking his records as he goes.

"I think that's a good thing as well as it keeps him on his toes, but from his perspective he looks at the next target, so he targeted this meet, had a few little little niggles, wasn't quite feeling 100% and still performed really well."