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| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
General Interest | |
| Injuries | He required surgery on a knee problem at the end of 2010. (communigate.co.uk, 22 Mar 2012) Injury prevented him from competing at the British trials for the 2009 World Championships. (lep.co.uk, 20 Aug 2009) In late 2009 he broke his wrist in a training accident while boxing, then in May 2010 he broke the wrist again after losing his footing and falling over. He missed seven weeks of his 2010 Commonwealth Games preparation as a result. (lep.co.uk, 17 Sep 2010, 06 Mar 2012) |
| Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs | Before races he likes to relax by listening to hip-hop or R&B music. (lep.co.uk, 25 Jul 2008) |
International Debut | |
| Tournament | World Cup |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | Russian |
| Residence | Stockport, ENG |
| Higher education | Indianapolis, IN, USA |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Listening to music. (lep.co.uk, 25 Jul 2008) |
| Most influential person in career | His parents Eddie and Christine, and swimming coach Rob Greenwood. (lep.co.uk, 25 Jul 2008; English Aquatics Team Media Guide, 2010; iuhoosiers.com, 22 Mar 2012) |
| Hero / Idol | Multiple world and Olympic champions, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps. (English Aquatics Team Media Guide, 2010; bowkerbmw.com, 22 Jul 2011) |
| Ambitions | Continue swimming until he can't improve anymore, win an Olympic gold medal and stay in the sport as a coach. (English Aquatics Team Media Guide, 2010; bowkerbmw.com, 22 Jul 2011) |
| Awards and honours | He was named Lancashire Swimmer of the Year in 2008. (swimlancashire.co.uk, 31 Dec 2008) He claimed the Rising Star title at the 2008 Preston Sports Awards. (lep.co.uk, 03 Feb 2010) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Louise Robinson |
| Training Regime | He trains six days a week, dividing his time between the pool and gym. |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He took up the sport at age five at the Preston Swimming Club and began competitive swimming at age seven. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2008 |
| Competing for | Great Britain |
| Location | Stockholm |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Coach from which country? | England |
General Interest | |
| Other information | TURNING POINT He quit swimming in 2007 after losing his motivation for the sport, but was persuaded by former coach and retired Great Britain swimmer, Rob Greenwood. "I'd just had enough," he said. "I didn't want to do it anymore. I just thought, 'Is it worth bothering anymore?' I was a nobody before I met Rob. We just seemed to hit it off and he found the key." An argument between the two in the middle of a training session triggered a change of thinking. "I wasn't doing the times I should have been doing and I wasn't in the best of moods. I was shaking my head, muttering about this and that. I suppose my body language wasn't very good and Rob just lost it with me. He ordered me out of the pool and let me stew for 10 minutes. It just pressed a button inside me. I went back in the pool and did the best swim work of my life. From that moment, I never looked back." (lep.co.uk, 25 Jul 2008) SCHOLARSHIP In early 2009 he became the first student to be awarded a full swimming scholarship at Indiana University since nine-time Olympic champion Mark Spitz, however he returned home shortly after. "It didn't work out for me in Indiana," he said. "The training wasn't suitable for a breaststroker so I left after three months." (lep.co.uk, 10 Mar 2009, lep.co.uk, 20 Aug 2009; iuhoosiers.com, 22 Mar 2012) OTHER ACTIVITIES He serves as Club Captain of the Preston Swimming Club in Lancashire. (swimpreston.co.uk, 22 Mar 2012) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Work hard, race hard." (English Aquatics Team Media Guide, 2010) "People handle the pressure [of competition] in different ways I suppose. I like to mellow out. I swim better when I'm in that frame of mind. I just turn up, stand behind the blocks and see what happens when I hit the water." (lep.co.uk, 25 Jul 2008) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | ITC Stockport: Stockport, ENG |