Graham Edmunds

Last updated

Graham Edmunds
Personal information
Full nameGraham Edmunds
Nationality British
Born (1974-09-22) 22 September 1974 (age 50)
Reading
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle 34 point Freestyle Relay
ClubSwansea
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Paralympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2004 Athens 4×100 m freestyle – 34 pts
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2008 Beijing 4×100 m freestyle – 34 pts
IPC World Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2010 Eindhoven 4×100 m freestyle 34 pts
IPC European Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Reykjavik 4x100m freestyle relay 34pts
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2009 Reykjavik 50 m freestyle – S10

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]

Contents

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 Paralympic 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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Austin</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Benjamin James Austin, OAM is an Australian Elite Athlete with a Disability (EAD) swimmer. His classification is S8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Long</span> Russian-American Paralympic swimmer

Jessica Tatiana Long is a Russian-American Paralympic swimmer from Baltimore, Maryland, who competes in the S8, SB7 and SM8 category events. She has held many world records and competed at six Paralympic Games, winning 30 medals. She has won over 50 world championship medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Roberts (swimmer)</span> Welsh swimmer (born 1980)

David Evan Roberts CBE, is a Welsh swimmer. An eleven-time Paralympic gold medallist, he is one of Great Britain's most successful Paralympians ever.

Robert Welbourn is a British Paralympian swimmer. He was born in Chesterfield. He began his swimming career at Deeping Swimming Club in Deeping St. James.

Nyree Elise Kindred MBE is a Welsh swimmer who has competed in the Paralympic Games on four occasions winning ten medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Walker (swimmer)</span> British Paralympic swimmer

Matthew "Matt" Benedict Walker MBE is a British swimmer who has participated in four Paralympic Games, winning eleven medals. He competes in the S7, SM7 (medley) and SB7 (breaststroke) classifications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie Cole</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Ellie Victoria Cole, is an Australian retired Paralympic swimmer and wheelchair basketball player. After having her leg amputated due to cancer, she trained in swimming as part of her rehabilitation program and progressed more rapidly than instructors had predicted. She began competitive swimming in 2003 and first competed internationally at the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships, where she won a silver medal. Since then, she has won medals in the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, the Commonwealth Games, the Paralympic Games, the IPC Swimming World Championships, and various national championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Storey</span> British cyclist (born 1977)

Dame Sarah Joanne Storey, is a British cyclist and swimmer, a multiple gold medallist in the Paralympic Games, and six times British (able-bodied) national track champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Levy</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Matthew John Levy, is a retired Australian Paralympic swimmer. At five Paralympic Games from 2004 to 2020, he has won three gold, one silver and six bronze medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemma Dashwood</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Gemma Joan Dashwood, is an Australian Paralympic swimmer, medical doctor and ordained Deacon in the Anglican church. She was born in Canberra. She competed in the Les autres disability category due to her septic arthritis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Bell (Australian swimmer)</span> Australian swimmer

Daniel Bell is an Australian swimmer born in American Samoa, who has won five Paralympic medals from 2000 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Pendleton</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Rick Pendleton, OAM is an Australian Paralympic swimmer from Sydney. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, his fourth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Anderson (swimmer)</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Michael Anderson, is an Australian Paralympic swimmer who has won gold, silver and bronze medals at the three Paralympics from 2008 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Downie</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Katherine Rose Downie is an Australian Paralympian. Kat first represented Australia in 2011. Kat represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in swimming and was a member of both the Gold medal Women's 34 point 4 x 100 free and 4 × 100 medley relay teams. Kat placed fourth in both her pet events the 100 backstroke and 200IM.

Sebastián Rodríguez Veloso is a Spanish Paralympic swimmer. He has competed at four Paralympic Games winning fifteen medals: eight gold, four silver and three bronze. His attendance at the Games was controversial after it was revealed that he had been jailed for bomb attacks while a member of First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups (GRAPO).

Alexander "Alec" Robert Elliot is a Canadian competitive Paralympic swimmer.

Alice Tai, is a British paralympic swimmer. Tai competes in the SB8, SM8 and S8. She has represented Great Britain at European and World Championships and at the Commonwealth and Paralympic Games, gold medals at all levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paige Leonhardt</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Paige Leonhardt is an Australian swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where she won a silver medal and the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

William Michael Martin, is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. He won three gold and one silver medals at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, breaking two world records and a Paralympic record in the process.

Keira Stephens is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, she won two bronze medals. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she won a gold medal as a heat.

References

  1. 1 2 "Team GB continue Paralympic success". London: Times Online. 10 September 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2011.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Graham Edmunds". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee.
  3. 1 2 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. Archived from the original on 9 March 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.