Paralympic swimming champions set to compete in Manchester
In the first national competition since the Rio Games, 18 swimming medallists will take part this weekend at the National Para-Swimming Championships. Over 250 Para-Swimmers will compete at the Manchester Aquatics Centre on 10 and 11 December. They include World and Paralympic champions Sascha Kindred, Eleanor Robinson, Hannah Russell and Bethany Firth.
On Saturday at 8.45am there will be a ‘Parade of Champions’ to celebrate the successful year of Para-Swimming. The announcer will present the medallists taking part in the Championships in front of a packed Manchester crowd.
In September, a squad of 30 para-swimmers represented Great Britain at the Rio Paralympic Games. They claimed an incredible 47 medals in the pool, eight more than London 2012. Our Para-Swimming team totalled 16 gold, 16 silver and 15 bronze medals.
A new name on the ParalympicsGB team in Rio was 15-year-old Eleanor Robinson. After winning multiple medals at this year’s IPC European Championships, the Northampton swimmer captured the nation’s hearts in Rio.
She was only 11 years old when her parents took her to the 2012 London Paralympics to watch Ellie Simmonds, the four-time gold medallist, in action. Fast forward four years and a few days into the Rio Paralympics, Robinson found herself in the final of the SB6 50m Butterfly. The young star won gold in a new Paralympics record time of 35.58 seconds. The two Ellies faced each other in the final of the S6 100m Freestyle, where Robinson took bronze in a tough event; Simmonds touched in fifth place.
With Simmonds absent from this weekend’s competition, Robinson will be firm favourite to claim medals in the multi-classification events. Ahead of the Championships, Robinson said:
“I am really excited about competing this weekend with so many team mates. Rio was amazing- I never expected to come home a Paralympic champion! There will be some tough races in Manchester, but it will be brilliant for everyone spectating.”
Whilst Robinson is new to the international stage, established star, Sascha Kindred OBE, is one the most successful British Para-Swimmers of all time. Kindred, who will be 39 next week, has competed at six Paralympic Games and claimed 13 medals, including seven gold medals. In Rio he won gold in the SM6 200m Individual Medley.
“Winning my seventh Paralympic title in Rio was such an amazing feeling. The 12 September was such a rollercoaster ride for me. From being disqualified in the heats to getting reinstated, and then managing to refocus and win the race in the final in a new World Record. I am very proud of my Rio experience.”
Over the years, Kindred has been a regular on the starting list at these Championships. Ahead of the event, he said:
“Being able to swim at the EFDS championships again where it all started is a great honour. I have pretty much swam in every EFDS championships since the beginning and love racing against the British swimmers.”
This event is organised by the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) in partnership with British Swimming. EFDS exists to make active lives possible. To do this we enable organisations to support disabled individuals to be and stay active. Established in September 1998, EFDS has a vision that disabled people are active for life.
Barry Horne, Chief Executive for EFDS, said:
“The entry list for these Championships is a showcase of Para-Swimming talent- established and new. This is testament to the amount of work delivered at grassroots level to introduce new swimmers and grow participation.
“EFDS is continually seeking new partners for our events programme and this year we are also delighted that ThyssenKrupp is supporting us. There are huge benefits that supporting events like this one can bring. Our events programme has been instrumental in ensuring thousands of disabled people enjoy many sports at regional, national and international level.”
Spectators can buy tickets at the venue on the day. Details are as follows:
Event: National Para-Swimming Championships 2016
Venue: Manchester Aquatics Centre, 2 Booth St East, Manchester, M13 9SS
Dates: Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December
Saturday: Heroes parade- 8:45am
Saturday: Session one- 9:00am – 12:30pm. Session two- 2:00- 5:00pm
Sunday: Session three- 9:00 am – 11:00am. Session four 2:00- 5:00pm
Please click the link to access the start lists and results, which are also available on the day from the event desk. Follow the event tweets on the event hashtag #ParaSwim16.