Nineteen-year-old Karnell Nunes-Smith from Oldbury won two gold medals at the Swim England West Midlands Regional Winter Championships on 4 and 5 November.
The medals were in the 16-and-over 50m and 100m Breaststroke events, in which he set two personal bests, attaining times of 27.22 and 1:00.71 respectively.
The championships were held in Sandwell’s very own Aquatics Centre, allowing Karnell to attain victory in his home borough.
Commenting on his victory, Karnell said: “It was great competing at Sandwell Aquatics Centre, as it’s my local pool. The atmosphere was amazing, and I can’t wait to go back there and compete again.”
Karnell receives funding from Sandwell’s Gifted and Talented programme, an initiative which supports aspiring sportspeople who live in the borough and show promise on a regional, national and international scale.
Find out more about the Gifted and Talented scheme on our website.
More information on Swim England West Midlands and how to become a competitive swimmer.
Karnell, currently a national swimmer with Orion Swimming Club in Edgbaston, added: “The Sandwell Gifted and Talented programme has helped to support me over the past few years, which I am grateful for. I hope that I can continue getting faster and go on to represent my country at a major championship at some point in the near future.”
2023 has seen Karnell go from strength to strength. In February, he competed for Team England in Dubai, winning gold in the 50m Breaststroke event and coming in not far behind the current short-course world record holder (Ilya Shymanovich) in the 100m.
Additionally, he qualified for the finals of both the British Swimming Championships in April and the British Summer National Championships in July, as well as breaking two national records at the national ESSA Inter-Divisional Championships, where he represented the West Midlands.
This successful run saw him finish the long-course season ranked as number one in the West Midlands for 50m Breaststroke. He was ranked 8th overall in England.
Karnell will next be competing at the Swim England National Winter Championships in Sheffield on 14-17 December.
Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure and Tourism, Councillor Charn Singh Padda, said: “Karnell is an exceptionally talented individual and should be very proud of his achievements. We are certainly very proud of him in Sandwell.
“It is wonderful to know that the council has been able to support him in his success through the Gifted and Talented programme and that he has been able to use our world-class Aquatics Centre to facilitate these achievements.”