Howick swimmer in Tokyo for the Olympics

Martin Binedell (25), a 200 meters backstroke swimmer based in Howick has arrived in Tokyo with Team South Africa for the 2021 Olympic Games.

This is Binedell’s debut selection for the Olympic squad with the games officially starting on July 23 till August 8.

“Receiving the call inviting me to the 2021 Olympic Games was amazing, I knew I had a good chance,” he said. Bindell has been training flat out for the last eight years.

“This is the reward for the work I’ve done over the past eight years and the strategy is to enjoy the experience, have fun and try my best,” said Binedell. He added that this is his first time attending the Olympics, “an Olympics like no other”.

“A medal would be amazing and an unbelievable achievement. I’m there to finish as high as I can against the world’s best. It’s the Olympics and if you have a lane you have a chance. But the strategy to race as well as I can is to stay as relaxed as possible. It’s going to be the games like no other with Covid19 protocols and no spectators. Mental strength is going to be key”.

Binedell started swimming when he was just eleven years old.

“As a kid, I was very overweight and insecure, to help lose weight and build my self-esteem my parents gave me the option between karate and swimming. I sometimes wonder where I would be had I chosen karate,” he said. However, swimming has given him a lifetime of experiences and friendships while allowing him the opportunity to travel the world representing South Africa.

He told Maritzburg Sun that while training, he would have about nine sessions a week, about 5km taking two hours each. “When I was not preparing for the competition, I would normally do two to three gym sessions a week, ranging between 1 and 1.5 hours a session,” said Binedell.

Recalling one of his finest achievements, Binedell recalled being a finalist for the 22 backstroke heats at the Commonwealth Games and winning the bronze medal. He also won bronze in the relays.

Binedell is a former African Games Champion since 2015 for the 200m backstroke, breaking the games record in 2019. He is also a national Lifesaver, winning medals for South Africa at international competitions including the Lifesaving World Championships.