Swimathon president and Olympic god medallist, Duncan Goodhew went to visit two schools that have been strong advocates for School Swimathon this year; Henry Cavendish Primary School in Balham and Engayne Primary School in Upminster. At both schools, Duncan led an inspirational assembly followed by a fun swimming session.
During the school assembly, Duncan spoke of his childhood and how he lived with both dyslexia and hair loss, which had made his school days very difficult. Demonstrating an aptitude for swimming, he soon realised that sport could help to rebuild his self-esteem. This spurred him on to make his way to the top and aged 23, he won an Olympic gold medal for Great Britain in 100m Breaststroke. During his talk, he taught the children some valuable lessons, such as to believe in yourself and to never give up when the going gets tough.
Duncan also passed around his gold medal and Olympic torch and there was also an opportunity at the end for the children to ask him lots of questions. After the assembly, Duncan led a fun swimming session with a group of 9-10 year olds. During this time, they were treated with games, races, prizes and some top tips from Duncan.
School Swimathon is setting a challenge to pupils across the country to develop their swimming ability and swim further than they have ever swum before. The Swimathon Foundation and Swim England are helping pupils across the country to 'Swim their Best' for School Swimathon 2018. The programme challenges pupils to swim further than ever before whilst improving their technique in the water.