Welsh Cycling Trio - Daniel Davies, Finlay Storrie And William Coles – To Lead Five Young Dragons At European Youth Olympic Festival

Welsh cyclists Daniel Davies, Finlay Storrie and William Coles will spearhead a five-strong Welsh contingent competing for Great Britain at the Skopje 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF).

Davies (16), from Penarth, Storrie (16) from Bridgend, and 15-year-old Coles from Llandovery are among the 54 athletes selected to represent Team GB at the tournament from 20th – 26th July.

Joining them in North Macedonia will be gymnast Lexi Holmes (14) from Cardiff as well as the capital’s 16-year-old badminton player, Ishasriya Mekala.

Previous Welsh winners at the EYOF in cycling include junior world champion and national time trial champion Zoe Backstedt.

Team GB’s young athletes, all aged between 13 and 18, will compete in 10 of the 15 disciplines on the programme: artistic gymnastics, badminton, basketball 3x3, canoe slalom, judo, mountain bike, road cycling, swimming, table tennis and taekwondo.

It is the largest squad Team GB have selected for an EYOF since 2009, with the majority of athletes taking to the field-of-play in venues across the North Macedonian capital, while the cyclists will be competing a short distance away in the country’s second largest city Kumanovo and the gymnasts set up in Osijek, Croatia.

EYOFs play an important role in the development of young British athletes, providing crucial multi-sport event experience and guiding them towards realising their Olympic ambitions as they compete alongside over 4,000 athletes from 48 countries.

Team GB will be featuring in basketball and canoe slalom for the first time at an EYOF, with seven athletes competing across the two disciplines. 

READ MORE: Zoe Backstedt Says Welsh Country Roads Took Her Home To First Elite National Time Trial Title

This year’s British delegation will follow in the footsteps of some of Team GB's most recognisable stars who themselves represented Team GB at youth events before going on to compete at a senior Olympic Games, including Nile Wilson, Dina Asher-Smith, and Duncan Scott, who’s eight Olympic medals make him Britain’s most successful EYOF alumni.

Rachel Smith, who captained Team GB’s rhythmic gymnastics team during London 2012 and has now been selected as Chef de Mission for Skopje 2025, said: “It is a genuine honour to be named Chef de Mission for Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje. 

“For many of our athletes, this will be their first opportunity to wear the Team GB kit and connect with the Olympic Movement. A truly memorable experience and significant milestone in any athlete’s journey.

READ MORE: Ruby Evans So Close To Making Welsh Olympic History

Full squad: 

Artistic Gymnastics -

Helena Finc, 14, Bedworth
Lexi Holmes, 14, Cardiff
Jenitha Johnson, 13, Milton Keynes
Uzair Chowdhury, 15, Harpenden
Zakaine Fawzi-Mccaffrey, 17, Nottingham
Evan McPhillips, 17, Bury

Badminton – 

Ishasriya Mekala, 16, Cardiff
Kalyan Manoj, 16, Milton Keynes

Basketball (3x3) – 

Bo Guttormsdottir-Frost, 16, East Moseley
Haley Wright, 17, Valencia
Irene Oboavwoduo, 17, Manchester
Maisie Keyes, 17, Stockport

Canoe Slalom – 

Chloe Holmes, 14, Northwich
Jake Mitchell, 15, Hereford
Sophie Forster, 15, Nottingham

Judo – 

Coen Gilbert, 16, Bathgate
Jack Milligan, 16, Wallasey
Lenny Tancock, 17, Bishop’s Stortford
Sara Coni, 16,  London
Taylor Chrisp, 16, Blyth
Vasiliy Menshykov, 17, Inverurie

Mountain Biking – 

Luke Trafford, 15, Holmfirth
Orla White, 17, Tavistock

Road Cycling – 

Daniel Davies, 16, Penarth
Finlay Storrie, 16, Bridgend
Melanie Rowe, 16, Banchory
Peggy Knox, 16, London
Rose Lewis, 16, Birmingham 
William Coles, 15, Llandovery

Swimming – 

Austyn Manley, 15, Derby
Benjamin Beale, 15, Durham
Darcey Smith, 15, Fareham
Gisella Silano, 15, Haslemere
Jasmine Hall, 15, Old Harlow
Josephine Lawn, 15, Bromley
Kaiden Hitchins, 15, Smethwick
Lili Mundell, 15, Galashiels
Lois Child, 15, Leeds
Lydia Cordle, 14, Derby
Nikolai Sisnett, 15, Glasgow
Olivia Robins, 15, Stourbridge
Patryk Przyczyna, 15, Eastbourne
Tyler Stone, 15, Norwich
William Wilson, 14, Leeds
Xander Tovey, 15, Dunchurch

Table Tennis – 

Abraham Sellado, 15, Bradford
Sienna Jetha, 16, Watford

Taekwondo – 

Antonio Buonaiuto, 16, London
Fabio Carvalho, 14, London
Lauren Dunsmore, 17, Cumbernauld
Lily Kingsley, 17, Southampton
Max Cartwright, 16, Larbert
Monica Ilieva, 15, Craigavon
Paige Vincent, 15, Poole