Sascha picked up a Silver medal in tonight's 50m S6 Butterfly to add to his Gold in the 200m SM6 Individual Medley from Wednesday.

Sascha finished in a new personal best and European Record time in 32.26 seconds behind Xu Quing of China who took Gold with a time of 31.66 seconds.

Speaking after the race, Sascha said, "I'm really pleased to come away with Silver in a new personal best time. I can't do better than a PB and will just have to aim to beat it again to win Gold in future."

Sascha writes:

Well my first race is over and done with and Ii suppose it couldn't have gone much better!

I was very nervous in the morning heat swim as there are a lot of up and coming swimmers who are knocking seconds off there personal bests every time they hit the water, so I knew I had to have a positive heat swim to get me in the middle lane for the final.  I was fastest qualifier after the heat with a swim that felt pretty comfortable and I new I could go faster in the final.

After having an afternoon of rest back at the hotel I went back to the pool at 5 o'clock ready for my final at 8.30pm.  One of the first races on during the finals session was Jonathan Fox in the S7 100m Backstroke.

He swam incredibly bravely going like the clappers right from the gun and just managed to hold on in the last 10m when everyone was coming back at him to become World Champion. This spurred us all on and I knew this was gonna be a good night.

I had my dinner at 5.30pm and then went to do my warm-up at 7pm.  My warm up felt really good and I was going half a second quicker on my 25m sprints than i did in the morning so felt really strong and ready to race.

In the race itself I knew I had to be strong throughout and went for it and did the first 50m Butterfly in the fastest time i'd ever done. I held the lead all the way through the race which was good as in the backstroke everyone usually catches me and I turn in 3rd or 4th into the breaststroke, but not this time.  I led from start to finish and became world champion knocking 0.01 seconds off my World Record in the process. Yipppeee!

I'd like to say a big thank you for all the support from my coach Emma Patrick and Ben Harewood and everyone else who has sent me messages and supported me since Beijing in my quest to become World Champion.

I have the 50m fly on friday and hopefully I can get on the podium.  That will be a very tough race as there are 8 guys with very similar times.

Sascha

Sascha won another World Championship Gold this evening in the 200M SM6 Individual Medley in Eindhoven, Holland, as he swept away his rivals to win in a new World Record time.

With others wondering how Sascha would fare against younger up and coming swimmers, Sascha again showed how to swim the perfect race and peak at the right time, beating his old World Record by a hundredth of a second.

Sascha again peaked at the right time as he swept away his rivals to win in a new World Record time.

The Gold is his 7th at World Championships and increases his major championhip medal count to 48.

Speaking after the race Sascha said, "There are a lot of youngsters coming through who are swimming really well so I was a bit nervous today. But I swam well this morning and felt good so felt confident going into the race.

"I'm ecstatic to win in a new World Record time and with only 2 years to go now till London, who knows what might happen there," he added.

We are delighted to announce that Sascha has agreed a three year sponsorship deal with one of the UK's largest water companies, Southern Water.

The deal was agreed yesterday and will see Southern Water and Sascha work in partnership on Southern Water's award winning 'Learn to Swim' scheme.

Sascha is extatic about the deal which is now his first sponsorship deal prior to the Paralympic Games in London in two years time.

The Press Release Reads:

SOUTHERN WATER BACKS GB SWIMMING STAR

Three year sponsorship deal agreed with Paralympian Sascha Kindred OBE

August 17, 2010 - Southern Water has announced a three-year sponsorship deal with Sascha Kindred OBE, a reigning Paralympic and World Champion swimmer for Great Britain.

The sponsorship is part of a new partnership between Southern Water and the swimmer and follows Sascha's guest appearance at the company's Learn to Swim Instructors' Seminar in January.

The deal is Southern Water's first ever partnership with a Paralympic athlete and comes as Sascha competes in the IPC World Swimming Championships and just two years before the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.

As part of the partnership Sascha, now an official ambassador for Southern Water, will endorse the company's award-winning Learn to Swim scheme and make appearances at official events over the next three years.

Sascha, who once lived and trained in Crawley and now lives in Hereford, is one of Great Britain's most successful Paralympic athletes having won a total of six Paralympic, eight world and eleven European gold medals. He has represented Great Britain in four Paralympic games and is a favourite to win gold in London .

Sascha, 32, who is also an ambassador for sport for West Sussex and the Youth Sports Trust is currently at the world championships in Eindhoven, Holland, and on August 18 and 20 and is tipped to win gold in both the 50m Butterfly and the 200m Individual Medley.

Helen Sparkes, who runs Southern Water's Learn to Swim scheme, said: “We're honoured to have teamed up with Sascha, one of the country's great swimming stars and hope our support will help him win gold in London in two years time.

“In turn, we hope his support will enable our Learn to Swim scheme to grow even further. It's the perfect partnership.”

Sascha said: “I'm delighted to be involved with a company which takes pride in helping others to achieve their goals. I'm also excited to have the backing of such a big company just ahead of the Paralympic Games in 2012.”

Speaking more the Learn to Swim scheme Sascha said: “The scheme is close to my heart as many of the children have learnt to swim despite having a disability. It's something I'm proud to be associated with. I hope I can inspire others to be the best they can be through hard work and determination.”

Sascha, who has cerebral palsy, started swimming at the age of 11 and at 15 represented his country in his first international competition. He has received many accolades for his sporting achievements and was awarded an OBE in 2009 for services to disability sport.

For news about Southern Water click here.

Many athletes who hold World records are preparing themselves for another high-energy competition at the upcoming 2010 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Taking place from 15-21 August, many of the athletes set their records at previous competitions like the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, 2009 IPC Swimming European Championships in Iceland, 2009 IPC Swimming World Championships Short Course in Brazil, and the 2010 BT Paralympic World Cup in Great Britain.

Read More Here...

Sascha writes:

Arrived in Eindhoven yesterday after a short journey and now in my final preparations for the World Championships which start next week. Training had been going well over the last few months and I am feeling pretty strong with my gym programme being an influence. Went to the competition pool this morning and it looks good so I can't wait to race. The atmosphere will be great.

Starting to feel the pressure a little and nerves are building so it's a good sign and I am ready to put in my best performance. There are a few new youngsters in the two events that I am swimming so I know I have to give my best performance and as long as I give 100% then I cant ask for anything more.

Got another training session today and then I am on one session a day until my first race which is 18th August which is the 200m Individual Medley. Everyone else on the team is looking strong and we have a good team atmosphere. The team is a little bit smaller than the last world championships that we went to four years ago but feel it's a stronger team and we can give a good effort to try and finish high on the medal table. This is going to be tough as Ukraine , Australia and China have bigger teams than us this time around and will be near the time just as they were in Beijing .

I would just like to say good luck to the England Blind Football team who have their World Cup this week in our home town of Hereford at the Point4 centre where we do our regular gym workouts. Go and beat those Brazilians!!!!

Read an article on 'this is Sussex' about Sascha's aims for the IPC World Championships this month as well as London 2012.

Click here.

Press Release from the IPC:

Bonn, Germany – The 2010 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, will be seeing more coverage than any previous IPC Swimming World Championships.

Through the IPC's official internet channel www.ParalympicSport.TV , a live stream of the competitions will be available everyday, giving Paralympic fans around the world a chance to watch the action as it happens. The daily live stream will include all heats from 9:00 – 12:00 CET and all finals from 17:00 – 21:00 CET. Highlights clips will also be made available on the IPC YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/paralympicsporttv .

ParalympicSport.TV has been part of many high-profile events in the past, including at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games and the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Other broadcasters in Eindhoven include Great Britain's Channel 4, the official broadcaster of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Channel 4 will be creating a one hour sports highlights show that follows the progress of Great Britain's team. London 2012 Paralympic Games Ambassador Ade Adepitan will be presenting the highlights show, with British Paralympian Giles Long acting as reporter.

On 19 August, Channel Four will also offer a live stream on their website at www.channel4.com .

Australia's broadcaster ABC will broadcast 45 minutes of highlights every day between 18:30 and 19:15 on ABC2 from 16-22 August. Broadcasters from Brazil and Spain will also be in Eindhoven covering the World Championships.

The 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships take place from 15-21 August inside the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swimming Stadium. Many of the athletes competed previously at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, 2009 IPC Swimming European Championships in Iceland, 2009 IPC Swimming World Championships Short Course in Brazil, and the 2010 BT Paralympic World Cup in Great Britain.

A total of 659 athletes from 55 different countries will be participating in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, competing for the gold, silver and bronze medal in their respective event. The number of participating athletes and countries in Eindhoven will be one of the largest of any previous Swimming World Championships.

The World Championships are organized with the help of the NPC the Netherlands, the Foundation WC Swimming 2010, Disabled Sports the Netherlands, the city of Eindhoven, and the Dutch Swimming Federation (KNZB).

For more information about the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships and to purchase tickets to the event, please visit www.wcswimming2010.com .

For more information about IPC Swimming, please visit the official website at www.ipc-swimming.org .

To find the qualification rankings for IPC Swimming, please visit http://www.ipc-swimming.org/rankings/ .

Become a fan of the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships on Facebook! Visit www.facebook.com/IPCSwimming .

Sascha won two more Gold medals today as he picked up first places in the 100m Individual Medley and 50m Butterfly at the Short Course Championships in Llandudno Wales.

The wins come just a month before the World Championships in Eindhoven which he and other Team GB members are in final training for.

Sascha added yet another gold to his medal tally this bank holiday weekend as he produced an impressive display to win Gold in the 200M SM6 Individual Medley.

Swimming in his 5th Paralympic World Cup, Sascha swam close to the World Record that saw him beat his fellow rivals in Beijing two years ago finishing 0.66 seconds off the record in a time of 2:42.85.

Yuanrun Yang of China finished in second just under four seconds behind Sascha with a time of 2:46.33 whilst the ever improving Yevhenly Bohodayko of the Ukraine was a further second off with a time of 2:47.40.

Speaking after the event Sascha said, "It's great to notch up another win against my rivals and I'm delighted to put down a marker ahead of the World Championships in August.

I'm really pleased with my time too, especially as the aim is to peak for the World's so hopefully I have a chance of swimming even faster there," he added.

For more details about the Paralympic World Cup go to: http://www.btparalympicworldcup.com

Sascha will compete in the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester this weekend as he aims to claim win his fifth gold medal at the event since it started six years ago.

This year Sascha will be swimming in the 200M SM6 Individual Medley which he last won in 2008 and he will be up against the majority of his main rivals from around the world.

Look out for Sascha at the event at: http://www.btparalympicworldcup.com/

Today saw confirmation that Sascha will swim at this year's IPC World Championships in Eindhoven as part of a 30-strong team for Great Britain.

Sascha was confirmed as part of the team after achieving the required qualifying times at last weekend's British Championships in Sheffield.

The championships will be the 5th World Championships of Sascha's career where he will be hoping to defend his two gold medals won four years ago in Durban, South Africa.

More details soon...

The World Championship Qualifiers in Sheffield have been taking place over the last couple of days for Sascha and his fellow team mates as they attempt to qualify for the World Championships in Eindhoven later this summer.

The Championships will be held between 15th to 21st of August in Eindhoven and would be Sascha's fifth World Championships having represented Great Britain in his first World Championships back in 1994 in Malta.

Swimming in 100M SM6 Beaststroke and 50M S6 Butterfly, Sascha swam times of 1:24.46 and 32.59 respectively, hitting the qualifying marks for the Championships in both events.

Official confirmation of the team that will be heading to Eindhoven will be announced on Tuesday 20th April so watch this space for further news.

Day 5 of the British Gas Swimming Championships in Sheffield saw Sascha win another Gold in his main event the SM6 200M Individual Medley.

Finishing in a time of 2:46.51, Sascha finished on 924 points ahead of David Ellis (Category S13) on 806 points.

The win caps a great Championships for Sascha so far having won gold already in the S6 50M Butterfly and breaking the World Record in the S6 100M Butterfly.

Multi Disability races are races in which athletes from different classifications compete against one another. The winner is the athlete who finishes closest to their classification World Record.

For more detials about classification click here.

For further news see: British Swimming

Sascha was in scintillating form on the third and fourth day of competition at the British Gas Swimming Championships in Sheffield as he took Gold in the 50M Butterfly and broke the World Record in the 100m Butterfly Multi Disability Events.

The Paralympic Champion from Hereford swam an excellently paced race in the 100M Butterfly on Wednesday touching home in a time of 1:11.75 to take almost five seconds off the existing world record.

Sascha then stormed to Gold today after beating Matt Walker in the men's 50m Butterfly.

Kindred (S6) and Walker (S7) both had excellent starts, with Walker pulling ahead in the first 25M, but Kindred showed his strength to pull back the lead and touch ahead of his national team-mate.

Kindred touched the wall first in a time of 32.85 and secured a total of 823 points to win gold. Walker won silver in a time of 33.08 and a total of 774 points.

With the British trials for the IPC World Championships set to take place in Sheffield in two weeks time, Sascha is coming into form just at the right time. And the 31-year-old revealed that his form in the Steel City was the product of intense training to improve his overall technique.

"Butterfly is something I have been working on quite a lot over the last couple of years so I am pleased it is starting to feel really comfortable," said Kindred.

Multi Disability races are races in which athletes from different classifications compete against one another. The winner is the athlete who finishes closest to their classification World Record.

For more detials about classification click here.

For further news see: British Swimming

Sascha Gives Speech at Southern Water's 'Learn To Swim' Seminar

Olympic gold medallist Duncan Goodhew and six-times Paralympic gold medallist Sascha Kindred teamed up as special guests at Southern Water's annual Learn to Swim seminar on 22nd March attended by over 130 swimming teachers from across the south east.

Held at Crawley's K2 leisure centre, the seminar was open to those who teach as part of the water company's Learn to Swim scheme. It supports lessons at more than 70 pools and clubs across the region and has taught more than 500,000 children to swim since it began 19 years ago.

The theme of this year's event was disability and included lectures on useful tactics and methods of teaching people with physical and behavioural conditions to swim as well a practical workshop in the pool on water polo and keynote speeches from Sascha and Duncan.

Sascha said: “The support that Southern Water is giving to help promote swimming is vital. When I started out 20 years ago there was nothing like the Learn to Swim scheme around.

“It was a brilliant day which gave all the teachers a great opportunity to talk to each other. I've done some teaching before so I know how hard it can be and hearing from experienced teachers and coaches is so helpful.”

Duncan Goodhew MBE, the scheme's ambassador, said: “Swimming is the best all-round exercise and a terrific learning experience. It is therefore crucial that a child's first experience of swimming is the best it can be. Southern Water, with its Learn to Swim scheme, not only supports the child but crucially develops a better standard of teaching.”

Helen Sparkes, who organises the scheme, said: “This year's seminar was one of the best we have run and we have had a lot of positive feedback already. It was great to have Sascha and Duncan 's support, they were inspirational speakers and contributed to an extremely successful day.”

To find out more about Southern Water's Learn To Swim seminar click here.

Sascha In the News - BBC Online

Playground to Podium scheme to spot Paralympic talent

Teachers in Devon are being trained to help spot future Paralympic stars, under a scheme run by Sport England.

"Playground to Podium" in Plymouth is part of a nationwide initiative to train teachers how to recognise potential talent.

For more click here.

Sascha's Coach Wins Coach of the Year Award

Sascha's swimming coach, Emma Patrick, picked up the Coach of the Year Award at last night's Herefordshire Sports Awards held at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford.

Patrick, who coaches Sascha and his partner Nyree Lewis at Leominster Kingfisher Swimming Club, picked up the award after her continuous hard work to ensure both Sascha and Nyree remain at the top of their sport and an integral part of the British Paralympic Swimming Team.

Speaking about the award for their coach Sascha said, "We're lucky to have a coach who has helped us to remain at the top of our sport for so long and are over the moon that she's received the recognition and accolades that her skills merit."

Sascha to Appear on A Question of Sport on Friday 12th February

Sascha will be appearing on one of his all-time favourite shows next Friday as he joins Sue Barker plus team captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell on the popular television quiz show A Question of Sport.

Having been a big fan of the show since his early teens, Sascha religiously watched A Question of Sport with his family every week and always dreamed of one day being on the show and battling with the team captains.

Now having become one of Great Britain's most successful Paralympic swimmers, Sascha's dream comes true next week as he joins former international footballer Ian Dowie on Matt Dawson's team whilst Gary Speed and rugby league coach Brian Noble join Phil Tufnell's team.

Having already been filmed last month, viewers can expect a great show with plenty of laughs and the usual tense finish.

For more detials see http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qsw81.

Sascha In the News - Hereford Times

Kindred enjoys his moment in Mastermind ‘black chair'

SWIMMING star Sascha Kindred showed his devilish side this week on a popular BBC quiz show, writes IAN MORGAN.

The Paralympian star chose the Red Devils of Manchester United as his specialist subject on Monday night's Celebrity Mastermind.

The Leominster Kingfisher achieved 10 correct answers on 20 years of Manchester United from 1990 to 2010.

For more click here.

Sascha Faces Toughest Challenge Yet in Legendary Black Chair

Sascha took on one of the toughest challenges of his career to date today as he competed with fellow celebrities on Mastermind for a much coveted Celebrity Mastermind trophy.

That's right, our very own Sascha Kindred sat in the famous black chair today and was asked questions on his chosen specialist subject, ‘Manchester United 1990 to Present', from Mr John Humphrey's himself.

Sascha took part on behalf of The Fire Fighters Charity, a charity which provides support to thousands of fire fighters across the United Kingdom each year.

Sascha's involvement with the Fire Fighters Charity began just after the Beijing 2008 Paralympics after the charity invited him to open a swimming pool at a Fire Fighters Rehabilitation Centre in Littlehampton, Hampshire.

Sascha said, “I've always wondered what it would be like to sit on the Mastermind chair and was delighted to be asked and to be able to support a charity like the Fire Fighters Charity.

“I've always been humbled by the amazing work that fire fighters across the country do each day to save the lives of others, yet often we don't hear about those that might need support, so any assistance I can give to help them receive that support is an honour,” he added.

Sascha was up against comedy writer Stewart Lee and actors John Thomson and Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter's loyal lieutenant) and knew the competition would be tough.

Speaking about facing questions in the famous black chair Sascha said, “I was optimistic about my specialist subject as I've been a loyal supporter of Manchester United for many years now, but general knowledge I'm not usually that strong on so I was a bit nervous about that.” Sascha said.

"I loved every second of it though as not many people sit in that chair and to be able to help my chosen charity makes it worthwhile," he added.

See how Sascha did on BBC iPlayer at BBC Mastermind.

Sascha Adds Silver to Medal Haul in Rio

Sascha signed off from the World Short Course Championship in Rio by picking up a Silver medal in the 100M SB7 Breaststroke.

Sascha finished behind the fast improving Australian Blake Cochrane who touched home first in a new Short Course World Record time of 1:17.91.

Sascha stayed close to Cochrane for the first 50m and although he was of similar pace on the straight as the Australian, he couldn't match him for speed on the turns, touching home in a time of 1:22.48 to pick up Silver. Thomas Young, also of Great Britain, finished third in a time of 1:25.38.

Speaking after the race Sascha said, "It's my first defeat at the distance in a major championship since 1998 so I'm a bit disappointed, but full credit where credit is due, someone had to do something special to beat me and Blake did just that."

Overall, the medal means Sascha's total medal tally from Rio is an impressive three Golds, all in new World Record times plus the Silver from the 100m SB7 Breaststroke.

"I'm really pleased with how things have gone overall. The conditions were really tough with it being so warm which was a good experience, but I'll be glad to get back and start concentrating on the World Championships in Eindhoven next year."

It's Three from Three for Sascha in Rio

Sascha picked up his third gold medal at the IPC World Short Course Championships today after taking victory in the men's 50M S6 Butterfly.

Sascha clocked yet another World Record time after winning in a time of 31.38 seconds, knocking 0.42 seconds off his previous best time of 31.80 which he set in Sheffield two weeks ago. He finished ahead of Spain's David Vidal Fuster in 31.94 and Igor Plotnikov of Russia in 35.31.

The win means Sascha has secured gold in World Record times in all three of his races so far, after winning in the 100M and 200M Individual Medley events earlier this week.

"I'm delighted to make it three from three as this was the hardest race for me so far. David Fuster pushed me all the way but I felt very strong and dug deep on the second length."

Sascha has the 100M S7 Breaststroke up next and knows it's going to be tough to make it four from four.

"I've not been beaten for some time in the 100M Breaststroke, but the Australian Blake Cochrane has been swimming fast so it's going to be tough to make it four from four. I'm swimming fast too though so it'll make for a great race."

More news soon...

BBC Coverage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/8396736.stm

Another World Record for Sascha on Day 4 of World Short Course Championships

It was another World Record for Sascha today as he won the 100M SM6 Individual Medley to make it two wins out of two at the World Short Course Championships.

Like yesterday, Sascha dominated the race and led from start to finish, touching home in a time of 1:14.67, beating the time of 1:15.89 he set in Sheffield two weeks ago.

Speaking after the race Sascha said, "I was hoping to go 1:14 so I'm pretty pleased with that. It shows I'm in form in my best events so I feel positive about my butterfly event in two days time also."

BBC Coverage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/8392170.stm

Sascha Breaks World Record on Day 3 of World Short Course Champs

Sascha swam in his first race at the World Short-Course Swimming Championships in Rio today and was again in impressive form as he achieved a new World Record time in the 200M SM6 Individual Medley.

His time of 2:41.24 means that Sascha broke the world record in the event for the second time in just over a week after breaking it at the recent DSE Swimming Championships event in Sheffield.

“It is really good to be the first ever short course World Champion,” Kindred said. “However, I was slightly disappointed with the time because I swam that fast last weekend but I did dominate the race.

“I would have liked it if the Chinese team had been here because they are my closest rivals. It was like a time trial for me today and I felt it in that race.”

Inaugural World Short-Course Swimming Championships to Start this Sunday.

The inaugural World Short-Course Swimming Championships will begin this Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, home of the 2016 Paralympic Games.

The championships will be the first major world championships at short-course distance to be held on the world stage and will see swimmers compete in the shorter 25m pools between the 29th November and 5th December 2009.

Team GB have sent out a strong team to the games which includes our very own Sascha who will again be out to claim Gold in a number of events including the 200M Individual Medley, 100M Breaststroke and 50M Butterfly.

Speaking about the upcoming event, Sascha said, "Obviously it is the inaugural event and it is going to be a different experience but I will be doing four events and I will be aiming to get medals in all four."

"It is pretty exciting and I would say 90 per cent of my training is geared towards short course rather than long course. It will be nice to see precisely what it is like - racing short course at elite level," he continued.

Sascha will face some stiff competition, especially in the 100M SB7 Breaststroke. Sascha has been unbeaten at the distance at major championship level for 10 years, but his main rival Blake Cochrane from Australia recently broke Sascha's World Record to take the world number one spot.

"It's going to be tough as Blake is young and getting better all the time, but there's no reason why I can't go faster too so I'll be trying my best to take back my crown."

Although Sascha has lost his World Record in the 100M Breaststroke, he has gained a World Record in the 100M Butterfly and is now number one in the event for the first time.

"I'm really looking forward to swimming the in the butterfly event as I've been getting stronger and stronger so I'm confident of doing well," he said.

For more information the event you can visit the Rio 2009 Website by clicking here.

News and results will of course be posted here as the event progresses so watch this space.