Filip Nowacki, an 18-year-old swimmer from Jersey, delayed opening his A-level results to prioritize the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, where he went on to win a gold medal.
Nowacki secured first place in the men's 200m breaststroke final with a time of 2 minutes 7.70 seconds, narrowly beating Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands. This victory follows his historic achievement last month at the Commonwealth Games, where he became Jersey's first medalist in 36 years after winning gold in the same event and silver in the 100m breaststroke, ahead of Olympic champion Adam Peaty.
Nowacki took his A-levels in Economics, Mathematics, and Physics. He explained his decision to postpone checking his results, stating, "As much as I want to know how I have done and hopefully celebrate with my friends, I don't want to risk being distracted whilst in this major competition. I know I need to be fully focused so another 24 hours wait I can live with."
He is scheduled to compete in the 50m breaststroke at the championships on Friday. From September, Nowacki plans to attend Loughborough University as part of its Swimming Performance Centre.
Reflecting on the potential outcome of his academic results, Nowacki expressed that his recent success in swimming could provide balance. "I think if it's obviously not the way I want it to go, it's almost balanced itself out with what's just happened there in the pool, but you know, fingers crossed I make it into uni," he said.
