WALES' SWIMMERS BATTLE FOR PARALYMPIC PLACES
Wales’ top disability swimmers will be battling it out at this weekend’s British International Disability Swimming Championships to make their dreams of competing at the Beijing Games a reality.
The three-day competition in Sheffield is the final opportunity for Britain’s swimmers to secure nomination for the Paralympic Games in Beijing. And Swansea-based Billy Pye – who is British Swimming’s Head Disability Coach – is extremely confident and says that the mood in the camp is upbeat:
“The atmosphere is absolutely fantastic – before every competition, I predict my own targets. For the first time ever, the swimmers went way beyond my own predictions. We’ve had a great six months where the swimmers have delivered way above what they have done in the past.
“There’s been superb preparation into these trials. We’re definitely on track,” adds the man who heads up the powerhouse of disability swimming at the Wales National Pool in Swansea.
The event will see a Welsh five-strong contingent led by David Roberts who will be pushing hard to continue his record-breaking form. At the first set of swimming qualifiers earlier this year, Roberts of Pontypridd broke the 50m and 100m freestyle world records – he will be looking to carry on in the same vein this weekend over the 400m.
Meanwhile, Nyree Lewis – who returned home from the Athens Paralympics as Britain’s most successful female swimmer – will be travelling up to the meet with long-term boyfriend Sascha Kindred of England as they try to gain the coveted Paralympic spots.
Bridgend’s Rhiannon Henry has jetted in from Montreal where she is in University. The young starlet – who trains alongside the Canadian Paralympic team – has already achieved so much, despite the fact that she only turns 21 next month.
Henry recently posted a personal best in the 100m fly and, if selected, she could seriously be in the mix for Paralympic gold.
Gareth Duke will also be hoping that he turns in a strong performance. A gold medallist in Athens over the 100m breaststroke, he will be certainly one to watch. He has already met the standard required for the 100m breaststroke but he is now hoping he can also make the grade in the 200m individual medley.
Duke’s success in recent years has been nothing short of extraordinary. A year after winning Paralympic gold in Athens, the swimmer from Cwmbran went under the knife to receive a new kidney donated by his father, Trevor.
Newport’s Liz Johnson (pictured) is also crossing her fingers that she is selected for what will be her second Paralympic Games. The trainee accountant – who now lives in Swansea – will be cheered on by her most ardent supporter, boyfriend Jody Cundy who aims to win two gold medals in the track cycling at the Games.
For Britain’s swimmers, this is the second chance to qualify for the 2008 Paralympics.
Pye adds,
“Wales’ swimmers acquired their qualification standards at the first trials which they’ll be looking to cement this weekend.
“With 24 weeks remaining until the Games, some of the swimmers have started going into preparation for Beijing so the workload has increased. Saying that, they’ll still be looking to race fast. Although they have met the qualifying standards, we’ll be looking to emulate times set at the first trials.”
To determine which swimmers will be nominated to the British Paralympic Association, results from the British Championships and International Disability Swimming Championships will be combined and ranked for each event and classification.
The top ranked swimmer in each of these events and classifications must have swum below the set qualification times to be nominated.
Swimmers who are ranked in second and third place in their event will be eligible for selection, as long as they swim below the qualification time and there is sufficient space on Team GB.
