Leon Taylor and Michael Gunning to host Swim England National Awards 2024

Leon Taylor and Michael Gunning will be the masters of ceremonies for this Saturday’s Swim England National Awards.

Olympic medal-winning diver Leon and former Great Britain and Jamaica international swimmer Michael are both returning to host the ceremony after being the first co-hosts of the event 12 months ago.

They’ll be leading the celebrations of the aquatics community, inside the Great Hall at the University of Birmingham, as we reveal the winners from a variety of award categories.

And for Michael it’s an incredible feeling to host the awards in such a special year, following the success of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be back hosting the Swim England National Awards and to be hosting alongside my good friend Leon.

“Last year, we had so much fun recognising all the achievements from across aquatics and after such an exciting year, 2024 promises to be even better.

“It gives us a chance to look back on an amazing 12 months for aquatics, including the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics which will have inspired a whole new generation of stars for the future.

“We’re really looking forward to being a part of celebrations and hearing all the inspiring stories from our wonderful community.”

The finalists for the event in Birmingham were recently revealed after more than 1500 nominations from across the country, where we’ll also welcome the latest inductees into the Swim England Hall of Fame.

Leon himself was amongst last year’s Hall of Fame inductees and he can’t wait to share the success of this year’s winners this time around.

He added: “Me and Michael really enjoyed presenting this event together last year and we can’t wait to be back in Birmingham.

“This event is really special for us and it’s fantastic to celebrate the commitment from everyone involved in aquatics. From athletes, coaches, volunteers, teachers and everyone behind the scenes – their hard work deserves to be recognised and applauded.

“Last year was particularly special for me, not just to host but to also be inducted into the Swim England Hall of Fame.

“Being inducted was a huge honour for me and it meant so much to have that moment on the day. I can’t wait to be able to share that joy with our latest inductees and all of our finalists on Saturday.”

Keep an eye on the Swim England website and social media channels throughout this week as we build up to the ceremony and on Saturday to find out this year’s winners.