On 10th and 11th December 2016 I competed in the Para National Swimming Championships, alongside a number of the para-swimmers who formed part of the team that competed in the Rio 2016 Paralympics.
This was the first major competition since Rio 2016, so a lot of the competitors were laying down markers for the new season and their new targets. The level of competition was high, as usual, and gave me the chance to swim competitively again after a change in training routines and home-base.
Given the changes to my training and reduction in pool time due to starting my studies in Physiotherapy at Brunel University, I was pleased to post times that were close to my PB’s. Although the journey up to Manchester was a long one and I was studying hard between races, I am happy to say that I medaled in all events that I competed in.
Over the two days I competed in 4 events: 100m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke and 400m Freestyle. I am very pleased to have been able to bring home 2 Golds (in 100m Freestyle and 400m Freestyle), 1 Silver (for 100m Backstroke) and 1 Bronze (for 50m Freestyle).
Not all the team from Rio 2016 competed in this competition but I did have the pleasure of meeting and
chatting with a number of the Paralympic swimmers from the GB team, including Ellie Robinson and Alice Tai, and, of course, I had to get the obligatory selfie, this time with Ellie Robinson.
Now I have settled into university, I am in the process of trying to gain more consistent coaching and a pool training-schedule. This is a challenge, but you will probably know that I am not one to shy away from challenges! With the addition of land training and specifically targeted gym work and strength conditioning, my overall levels of fitness and flexibility are improving; something that I may not have assumed would be achievable with Cerebral Palsy as part of the equation.
I am looking forward to 2017 and the exciting opportunities ahead for my swimming, which I will continue to work hard to achieve, alongside my studies and development to become a physiotherapist.
