ALL EYES ON TOKYO
Q How fast are you swimming now?
A Since Rio, I’ve started going to the gym on top of my eight water sessions. It’s something I’d never done because of the issues with my joints and the strain on my body up until now. I work with a trainer called Korina Jones (right) . She’s a lovely lady. She’s like me. She’s feisty and loves pain. We push each other. I feel like I have a lot more power and speed in the pool. My whole core feels so stable and that has a lot to do with Korina. I’m pretty excited to get racing again. There are trials in April and I better be on that team, otherwise I might take up croquet.
Q A few times you’ve told me swimming has saved your life. Is that really true?
A Yeah. I was such a porky pie and it wasn’t good for my back. It would have pulled back over, it would have pinched a vertebrae and immobilised me. It’s been a lifesaver, physically and psychologically. All the obstacles I’ve overcome as a result of swimming has given me the courage to do amazing things. I completed 70.3 Ironman as a midget with diastropic dysplasia. If you go on Google and look at my disorder, the experts will tell you that is pretty much impossible. A Swimming has a lot to do with that. I’ve met people like myself back when I was 16. So it would be interesting to go to a little people convention in the United States but I’m not in any rush.