The Commonwealth Games is just the beginning for many athletes. For its latest campaign, The Start Line, Team England has selected a handful of rising stars who came to the fore at Birmingham 2022, looking back on their moment of success and hearing first-hand how they felt in that moment and how they hope it can set them up for future success.

Team England has handpicked rising stars who shone at the Commonwealth Games last summer and sat down with them to relive their moments of triumph.

At just 21 years old, Team England swimmer, Brodie Williams took home three medals in three events at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The young Taunton-born star first made a splash in the 100m Backstroke where he won his first senior international medal, claiming silver. Using this performance to prove he can execute on the big stage, Williams produced an outstanding swim in the 200m Backstroke final, taking gold by one-hundredth of a second.

Commenting on the atmosphere in the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, Williams says: “Gold for me was a massive achievement. It’s something I will look back on and think, what a moment that was… I remember touching the wall, finishing the race and the whole place just erupted.”

Williams then went on to win his third medal as part of the men's 4x200m Freestyle Relay team, taking the title. He was joined by his teammates, James Guy and Tom Dean, who had both won medals earlier in the competition. Putting in an impressive performance in his leg of the relay, Williams reflects: “To get that gold was a little magic moment for us.

Williams' future in swimming looks bright, and his performance at the Commonwealth Games 2022 has undoubtedly put him on the map as a talented and promising athlete. Williams comments, “Birmingham 2022 has sort of set me up moving forward because I’ve got an international medal under my belt. Experiencing that on the international stage with that noise and that pressure, I feel I can go to different pools in different countries and know that I can do that.”

Williams hopes he will be able to use his experience from Birmingham as he looks ahead to Victoria 2026, “I’d like to go to Victoria 2026. I want to make sure that I can retain my title if I get there.”