Graham Edmunds

Graham Edmunds (born 22 September 1974) is a British swimmer who has competed in three Paralympic Games, winning two gold medals in world record times.[1][2] He was a member of the Reading Swimming Club where he was also a part-time lifeguard and coached the Cygnets, Reading's club for swimmers with learning difficulties.[3]

Graham Edmunds
Personal information
Full nameGraham Edmunds
NationalityBritish
Born (1974-09-22) 22 September 1974
Reading
Sport
SportSwimming
Strokes50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle 34 point Freestyle Relay
ClubSwansea
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing  Great Britain
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place2004 Athens4×100 m freestyle – 34 pts
Gold medal – first place2008 Beijing4×100 m freestyle – 34 pts
IPC World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Eindhoven 4×100 m freestyle 34 pts
IPC European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2009 Reykjavik 4x100m freestyle relay 34pts
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Reykjavik 50 m freestyle – S10

Accident

In October 2000, Edmunds was knocked off his motorcycle whilst riding to work on the A4. His injuries were so severe that doctors considered amputating both of his legs and believed that he would never walk again.[3] He spent three months with his legs in casts before beginning swimming again as part of his physiotherapy routine. Because he had limited movement in his ankle joints, he qualified as a disabled swimmer in the S10 category. When Edmunds met the British Paralympic coach Billy Pye he decided to begin training for the 2004 Summer Paralympics, but had to move to Swansea to make use of the High-Performance Training Centre as Reading had no Olympic-size swimming pool.[3][4]

Paralympics

Edmunds made his first appearance at the Paralympics in 2004. He competed in two individual S10 classification freestyle events as well as the 4×100 m freestyle 34 pts relay team. In the individual 100 m he was knocked out in the heats but he made the final of the 50 m finishing in sixth.[5][6] The relay team, which also featured David Roberts, Robert Welbourn and Matt Walker, set a new world record time of 3  59.62  seconds to win the gold medal ahead of Australia on the day of Edmunds 30th birthday.[7][8]

In 2008 Edmunds won a silver medal and set a new British record in the S10 50 m freestyle at the British Swimming Championships.[9] He made his second Paralympic appearance for Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, held in Beijing, China. Edmunds raced in the same three events as in 2004 as well as the 4×100 m medley 34 pts relay team. he made the finals of both his individual events but failed to win a medal, finishing seventh in the 100 m and eighth in the 50 m. In the medley the Great Britain team made the final but finished fifth, 17 seconds behind the new world record time set by gold medallists Australia.[10] The freestyle relay quartet of Edmunds, Roberts, Walker and Welbourn successfully defended the title they had won in Athens setting a new world record of 3 minutes 51.43 seconds en route to winning gold.[1]

At the 2009 IPC Swimming European Championships in Reykjavík, Edmunds won an individual bronze medal in the men's S10 50 m freestyle and a gold medal in the 34 point 4x100 m freestyle competing with Walker, Welbourn and Jonathan Fox.[11][12]

In 2010 Edmunds was appointed to UK Anti-Doping's newly formed Athlete's Committee along with fellow Paralympian Helene Raynsford.[13][14]

In 2013 he was reappointed to the Athletes Committee of UK Anti-Doping for a further three years.

In May 2012 it was announced that Edmunds had been selected as part of the ParalympicGB to compete at London 2012. http://www.swimming.org/britishswimming/news/disability-swimming/paralympicsgb-nominees-confirmed-for-london-2012/13764/

Post Swimming

Following on from the London 2012 Paralmpic Games, Edmunds announced that he was retiring from competitive swimming.

In early 2013 Edmunds was appointed chairman of The Swimming Competitors Association, and therefore also appointed to the executive board of British Swimming as the Athletes Representative.

References
  1. "Team GB continue Paralympic success". London: Times Online. 10 September 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  2. "Graham Edmunds". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee.
  3. "Graham beats odds to qualify for Paralympics". Reading Post. 27 July 2004. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  4. "Edmunds targets Paralympic gold". BBC Sport. 16 July 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  5. "Results ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games Swimming Men's 100 m Freestyle S10". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  6. "Results ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games Swimming Men's 50 m Freestyle S10". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  7. Davies, Gareth (23 September 2004). "Swimmers on crest of a wave". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  8. Hudson, Elizabeth (22 September 2004). "Paralympic diary: Day six". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  9. "In-form Kindred sets world record". BBC Sport. 6 April 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  10. "Results Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Swimming Men's 4x100 m Medley 34 pts". International paralympic Committee. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  11. "Simmonds claims fourth Euro title". BBC Sport. 22 October 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  12. "Final day joy for GB's swimmers". BBC Sport. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  13. "Paralympians appointed to Athlete Committee for UKAD". British Paralympic Association. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  14. "UK Anti-Doping's newly formed Athlete Committee provides advice on all matters of anti-doping". UKAD. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
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