Sport, Wimborne | Posted on June 5th, 2026 | return to news

Wimborne teen swimmer selected for the Commonwealth Games

17-year-old Isabella Haynes has been chosen to represent England in para swimming at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

This July, a teenager from Wimborne Minster will head to Glasgow to take part in the 23rd Commonwealth Games, an international sporting event featuring athletes from 74 members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Isabella Haynes is a 17-year-old whose right leg was amputated when she was just a week old. In May, she found out she had been selected to represent England in the para swimming event at the upcoming Commonwealth Games. On 26 and 27 July, she will be competing in the 100m breaststroke and 100m backstroke.

Isabella said: “I am very excited and proud of myself, but mainly honoured and grateful for all the support and for being selected.

“Fortunately, I will be in the school holidays and I can fully enjoy the competition, as well as learn from Olympian and Paralympian swimmers.”

Mum Elizabeth described how the family found out Isabella had been selected. She said: “When the post arrived, Isabella was so excited. She saw the label ‘Team England: Ready to win’ and opened it as quickly as she could.

“Of course, my husband and I nearly cried, and she was over the moon. We are very proud of her discipline, effort and dedication.”

Despite losing her leg at such a young age, Isabella learned to crawl, climb, play and do everything without it. As she has grown, she has used progressively larger prosthetic legs. She currently has three prosthetics: one for sports and running, one that can be used around the pool (although she swims without a prosthetic) and a high-tech electric one for everyday life.

Elizabeth said Isabella got into swimming at a very young age.

“We were looking for a sport for her which would be easy to move around in and gentle enough to avoid blisters, and she found swimming.

“She learned to swim first, and at eight years old joined Swim Bournemouth Club, where she started training. It started just as fun, but slowly she was spotted by a para swimming coach and invited to compete in para swimming events, as well as able-bodied regional and national competitions.

“Team England then invited her to be part of the junior development team and helped her with lots of training, camps and opportunities to improve.”

Isabella is dedicated to her training, under the supervision of coach Jeff Sandley from Swim Bournemouth. She trains early mornings three times a week from 5am to 7am and four afternoons a week. As well as 14 hours a week of swim training, she spends three hours in the gym.

She has competed in sporting events around the globe, including at the English School Games in Brazil. Her performance in competitions, as well as observations during her training, all led to Team England selecting her for the para swim team.

Isabella attends Queen Elizabeth School in Wimborne Minster. The school’s Deputy Head of Sixth Form, James Cook, described Isabella as talented and said she has earned a remarkable achievement with her selection.

He added: “Isabella has already demonstrated her international potential, winning five medals at the Para Swimming World Series in Lima across freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and individual medley events. Her dedication, resilience and success in the pool have made her a standout athlete, and her selection for Glasgow 2026 is a well-deserved reward for years of hard work.

“The entire school community will be proud to see Isabella represent her country at such a prestigious international competition and will be cheering her on every step of the way!”
Everyone in Wimborne, Dorset and England is sure to be wishing Isabella success.
The Commonwealth Games take place from 23 July to 2 August.