Age 14
Weight 43kg
Height 1.23m
2008 Paralympic record
100m freestyle (gold), 400m freestyle (gold)
Target for 2012
“The motto at my training pool is: ‘Coming second is not an option.'”
I train every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday morning and every night. Sunday is my one day off. I have to be at the pool at 6am, but I find it easy to get up now.
Before a competition I always wear these Great British knickers that I have, and I listen to Britney Spears’ Piece of Me – especially before I do my signature swim, the 400m freestyle. I started swimming when I was five – I just liked it. I realised I was fast, and I liked winning.
My typical week
Monday
6-7.45am: aerobic and skill-based swimming for 3,500m. Then I go to school for the day. Training starts again from 3.30-5.30pm, with pre-pool exercises (arm and leg stretches). I practise step-ups to strengthen my knees. (I had an operation last year to correct the bowing in my legs.) I also do injury-prevention exercises. As a swimmer it’s important to keep your rotator cuff [the group of muscles that stabilise the shoulder] working properly. Then I’ll swim for 4,000m with a heart rate monitor on. I swim 20-30 beats below maximum (bbm).
Tuesday
Training starts after school at 3.30pm with 4,000m of short sprints and kick work in the 25m pool.
Wednesday
Another morning session of 3,500m before school. Before my afternoon session I have 15 minutes pre-pool stretching followed by 4,000m working through the training zones: 30bbm, 20bbm and 10bbm (with a heart rate of 175, 185 and 195).
Thursday
I have the morning off, then an afternoon session of 4,000m short sprint and quality kick work.
Friday
Up early again for more aerobic and skill-based swimming – at total of 3,500m. In the afternoon, I have 15 minutes of pre-pool exercise followed by 4,000m race-speceific speed-work in the pool.
Saturday
I’ve only recently started training on Saturdays again. After a major competition I will have a period of regeneration training – eight sessions instead of nine before I gradually build up my training again. My Saturday sessions involve 4,000m based on reps of 400m freestyle.
Sunday
Rest day.
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