A University of Winchester student will be mixing with some of the biggest names in her sport when she competes at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Molly Staples, who has just finished the first year of her Physiotherapy course at Winchester, will be swimming for Guernsey in the 50m Butterfly and 50m Backstroke and may also take part in some of the relay events.
The 21-year-old, who swims for the University, has returned to Guernsey for a period of intensive training in preparation for the games which begin on 23 July.
This is the second time that Molly has represented her island home at the Commonwealth Games. In Birmingham 2022 she swam in the heats of the Freestyle and Butterfly sprints as well as being a member of the 4x100m Medley and 4x100 Freestyle relay teams which both reached their finals.
Part of the unique charm of the Commonwealth Games is that competitors from tiny dependencies like Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man as well as overseas territories like the Gibraltar and the Falklands go up against world class athletes from the bigger nations.
“Racing against the big guns was such a cool experience,” said Molly. “One of the biggest moments was when I got out of the pool after the relay and one of the Australian swimmers came and tapped me on the shoulder and said: ‘Well done’.”
Guernsey aren’t always the minnows in the pool. Molly has competed at three Island Games, (starting in Gibraltar 2019 when she was 14) and returned from the 2025 event in Orkney with three gold medals.
Molly has been swimming competitively since she was eight with the Beau Séjour Barracudas and admits that Glasgow maybe her last major championship.
“It might be time to go on to something else - but you never know- it might be the sort of big experience which inspires me to carry on,” she said.
Molly says that she “loves” Physiotherapy and was inspired by to take the course by her swimming.
“I’ve had back troubles since I was quite young and physios have helped me so much. I hope that I can bring the same benefits to the young swimmers at my club,” she said.
Molly is coached at Winchester by a fellow Physiotherapy student, Ben Dinsdale, who competed against GB’s double Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty in the British Championships.
Ben said: “Molly has been an absolute pleasure to work with over the past year. She has brought energy, eagerness and an open mind to every session.
“I know Molly will go to Glasgow with the same positive attitude that she brings to every training session. I am incredibly proud to have played a small part on her journey but ultimately all the success is down to Molly and her amazing hard work this year. Let it Rip, Molls!”
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