OLYMPIANS BACK SWIMMING'S PARALYMPIC PROGRAMME
With exactly one year to the start of racing at the Beijing
Paralympics, British Swimming has enlisted a team of top Olympians
and Paralympians to help guide some of the country's most
promising athletes to gold.
Olympic bronze medallist Steve Parry heads the list of well-known
achievers that will act as mentors to a group of seven disability
swimmers that are considered capable of achieving their first
individual gold in Beijing.
The Convert to Gold programme is designed to provide the
highest level of support to identified athletes and their
coaches in the run-up to the 2008 Paralympics in order to
make the detailed changes that could mean the difference between
silver and gold.
Seven athletes have been selected onto the programme and
all have demonstrated a good work ethic and are believed to
be capable of making the transition next September. Convert
to Gold swimmers are Paralympians Matt Walker, Claire Cashmore
and Rob Welbourn and newcomers Heather Frederiksen, Sam Hynd,
Simon Miller and David Ellis. Other athletes will have the
opportunity to join the programme after the Swim Wales meet
in December.
A team of former British swimmers boasting international
silverware and extensive experience at major meets has been
enlisted as mentors to the Convert to Gold group and will
provide a valuable support system as the swimmers prepare
for Beijing.
Former athletes including Olympic medallists Parry and Graeme
Smith, double Commonwealth Champion Sarah Price and Paralympic
champions Giles Long and Mark Woods will be partnered with
Convert to Gold swimmers for the scheme.
Parry will mentor 21-year-old Simon Miller who has recently
moved to British Swimming's High Performance Centre in Manchester
and hopes to make his Paralympic debut in Beijing. The two-time
Olympian is looking forward to working with up-and-coming
athletes.
"I am delighted to be involved in the Convert to Gold
programme and be a personal mentor to Simon," he said.
"From experience I know the smallest changes in training
and preparations for major events can have a big impact on
results. If I and the other mentors on the programme can help
make those changes and provide support and advice to upcoming
athletes then all the better."
British Disability Swimming Head Coach Lars Hume is excited
about recruiting the athlete mentors and hopes they will play
a key part in helping the Convert to Gold athletes make the
next step.
"Convert to Gold identifies those athletes we believe
will gain the greatest benefit from an increased level of
support," he said. "The world class pathway already
offers a high level of support, but by identifying those with
the capability of stepping up to gold over the next 12 months
we hope to have a direct impact on results in Beijing.
"By recruiting swimming mentors that have already competed
at the top of their sport, our aspiring athletes can tap into
the knowledge and experience of people that have been there
before and get advice from someone they can relate to that
isn't their coach. We expect this initiative will play an
important part in helping our athletes to gold."
Athletes selected to the Convert to Gold programme and their
mentors are as follows: Claire Cashmore (Kelly College) /
Sarah Price David Ellis (Derventio) / Giles Long Heather Frederiksen
(Eccles) / Vicki Horner Sam Hynd (Sutton in Ashfield) / Adrian
Turner Simon Miller (Littlehampton) / Steve Parry Matt Walker
(Marple) / Mark Woods Rob Welbourn (Lincoln Vulcans) / Graeme
Smith
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