Ollie Hynd

The Paralympic champion makes his return to action at the World Para Swimming European Championships

IT’S been a challenging year for swim star Ollie Hynd to say the least. The three-time Paralympic gold medallist suffered a major setback in March when he saw his classification changed by the International Paralympic Committee. Moved from the S8 class he has competed in since his international debut seven years ago to the S9 classification, he subsequently missed out on representing England at the Commonwealth Games. However, the 23-year-old is ready to make his international return in Dublin from August 13-19 at the European Championships as part of a 24-strong British team. And, as he told Agility, Hynd is feeling positive and ready to enjoy an event at which he has won six gold medals in the past.

On the European Championships… “Obviously, it’s been a bit of shaky year for me, so it’s not been ideal preparation. I missed quite a bit of training earlier on in the year, but the last couple of months have been really good. “I’ve recently been on a training camp with my club (Nova Centurion) – we went out to Hungary for two weeks which enabled me to get some really good training done out there, so everything is looking positive.

“Every time you get to represent your country it’s a massive honour and I’m really looking forward to the event. It’s not too far way either, being in Dublin, so I think my family are going to be there supporting me. It’s not long now and getting very real! “We’ve got a great mix in the team of some of the older swimmers and a few new faces who are coming through and proving themselves. It’s great to have such a strong squad right across the board. It’s great for the youngsters to get some experience of a major championships, especially with two years until the big one in Tokyo.”

On the challenges… “I’m actually due to be reclassified during the competition so that throws in another obstacle. I don’t know what the outcome of that is going to be, so I can only focus on trying to be the best I can possibly be. Whether I’m swimming in S8 or S9 I can only do my best and see what happens. “At this point in my career I’ve achieved what I’ve achieved, so I just want to go out there and enjoy the whole experience.

“The reclassification was a massive blow and something I’ve struggled with all year, and to be honest something I’m still struggling with. It’s not been a very good year. Having missed out on the Commonwealths – regardless of what happens at the Europeans – I’ll never be able to get that back. “It’s been really challenging but now I’m feeling positive again. These things are sent to challenge us but I’m still hoping to go to Tokyo regardless of the result. Hopefully, this experience will help me in dealing with things for the rest of my life.”

On enjoying the event… “Obviously, medals and wins are important but, for me, just to get to this point and just wanting to swim again is a big win after everything I’ve been put through over the last couple of months. “The beauty of the Europeans being so close is that my family can easily get there to cheer me on. Considering everything that’s happened, it’s going to be great to have them there and supporting me. “Going to major championships like this is why we do what we do. I’m looking forward to getting back to the swimming and being part of the event.”

On his inspirations… “For me, swimming was a fairly natural progression. I learnt to swim because my parents wanted me to be water-safe and it’s massively important that kids are at least able to survive in water. So I went through the badges scheme and then joined my local club. Being very competitive, I loved to race and always wanted to be

the best. “I would have to say that my brother, Sam, was my main inspiration. He went to the Beijing Paralympics and I got to see what it takes to be the best in the world – all the training and the lifestyle he had to live. “Then, as you get older, people inspire you in different ways and across different disciplines. That’s the great thing about life, you can draw inspiration from a lot of different areas and apply it to what you’re doing.”

On his career highlights... “I don’t think I can pinpoint one career highlight in particular but obviously my first Paralympic Games and winning a gold medal at London 2012 was massively special. Having my friends and family there was a dream come true. “Winning all four titles was another big moment and more than I ever expected to be able to achieve. So I’ve had a fair few moments that I’m proud of – and hopefully there are one or two more to come.”•