Sascha in the News - Birthday Celebrations for Swimming Scheme.
Southern Water celebrates 20 years of it's 'Learn to Swim' Scheme.
CELEBRATION is in the air as Southern Water's Learn to Swim scheme reaches its 20th anniversary the same year as Britain hosts the Olympics.
Learn to Swim has taught from 1992 in more than 80 swimming pools and clubs in the region, including Horsham's Pavilions in the Park, and with 600,000 children.
Olympic gold medallist Duncan Goodhew and five-times Paralympic gold medallist Sascha Kindred are both ambassadors of the award winning programme.
Click here for the full story from the West Sussex County Times.
An Update from Sascha.
With the Paralympic Trials just around the corner, Sascha talks training and sleeping in a tent.
"Well, we're already at the end of January with 2012 in full swing and I'm thinking where has all the time gone! But though I don't know the answer to that question, one thing I do know is that this is going to be one incredible year.
I am now in deep training preparing for the Paralympic Trials between the 3rd and 10th of March so there is very little time for anything else other than training.
And to make training even more challenging I have just received another bit of kit in the post to help me with my preparations and it's quite a big parcel.
The parcel is in fact an altitude tent, which will help me prepare for the trials in the first week of March in the London Aquatic Centre. No need to panic though, I won't be sleeping outside in this cold weather as the tent is one that I have to use over my bed (see picture).
The tent is to simulate being at altitude as a pump that you plug in regulates the amount of oxygen you receive during sleep. This means that I will effectively be sleeping at 2500m (at altitude) and training at sea level. To put it in lamens terms, it means that my body gets used to coping with less oxygen, so when put in an environment with more oxygen, my body will be able to work harder.
I have been to Sierra Nevada in Spain a couple of times over the years and have found that altitude training has benefited me during my races, but now I can achieve an altitude camp at home so I can train as normal.
This training phase will help me to cope with less oxygen and in turn train better when I am out of breath. This is all to help me prepare for the trials.
With only a few weeks left I am still unsure of all the events I want to try and swim in but here is my predicted events in order of preference:
- 200m Individual Medley
- 100m Breaststroke
- 50m Fly
- 50m Freestyle
- 100m Freestyle
I am looking forward to the trials and the year ahead and will keep you all updated with what I am doing.
I everyone has a good year and enjoys the summer of sport ahead."
Website Updated Ahead of London 2012.
That's right folks, it's now officially Paralympic Year so it's been decided that Sascha's website should have a much-deserved revamp.
Sascha's website was originally launched ahead of the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008 and hopefully those of you who have visited it have found it a useful source of information.
However as with most things, it's good to have a refresh now and again so not only has the site been updated with a more modern look, it will be easier to navigate and will have even more news.
As you may have noticed, the home page contains the most obvious feature with a new Twitter Widget so you'll be able to get more insight into the life of our Paralympic Champion.
In addition, over the coming half a year we'll be looking to keep you up-to-date on how Sascha is doing as he looks to qualify for his fifth Paralympic Games.
Speaking about the launch of his new website Sascha said, "We thought it was about time for an update and I'm really pleased with the outcome.
"I'll be looking to keep you updated on everything Paralympic related this year so keep visiting the site to keep up to date of how I'm doing," he added.
Sascha in the News - Hereford Sportspeople Helped by Halo Scheme.
TWENTY Herefordshire sportspeople from a wide range of different sports are benefiting in 2011-12 from the Halo Elite scheme...
Hereford Times - Herefordshire sportspeople helped by Halo Elite scheme
Sascha Back With a Bang at DSE Nationals.
The DSE National Short Course Swimming Championships took place this weekend in Sheffield with many of GB's top Paralympic athletes competing.
The Championships would see Sascha compete for the first time after suffering from a back injury earlier in the year that ruled him out of the European Championships in Berlin.
After a period of solid training in September and October, Sascha was aiming to test himself following his recovery from the back in jury and didn't disappoint.
On the first day of competition Sascha swam the 100M Freestyle in the morning and took the gold medal in a new British record time of 1.09.69, a fabulous start to the weekend.
Sascha then went on to swim his number one event the 200M SM6 Individual Medley and went even better by not only winning the gold medal time, but beating his own World Record by almost 2 seconds in a time of 2:39.59. Sascha was back with a bang!
Day two saw Sascha swim another two races and have another great races breaking the British Record in the 50M S6 Freestyle in a time of 32.06 seconds and also winning the 100M SB7 Breaststroke in a time of 1:22.18.
Sascha now looks forward to the last competition of the year in Swansea at the Welsh Winters at the end of December before the trials for the Paralympic Games in March at the London Aquatics Centre.
Sascha Featured on Channel 4 Paralympics Website.
Channel 4 have been busy creating a fantasticwebsite to help promote the Paralympics ahead of London 2012 next year.
Featuring on the website are a host of Paralympic stars including our very own Sascha Kindred. Below is a snippet from the website:
"Since winning his first gold in a junior competition back in 1992, human-come-torpedo Sascha Kindred has proved nigh-on invincible in the pool. As long as he gets there in time to race, that is…"
"Forget Posh and Becks, the golden couple of British swimming are champions Sascha Kindred OBE and Nyree Lewis MBE. Incredibly, the loved-up duo have won 20 Paralympic Games medals between them."
"I went to the toilet, and when I came out, the race was going on, and I was standing at the side of the pool."
Read more here: Paralympics on Channel 4
Sascha Speaks at Event Marking Production of Three Millionth Motability Car
Sascha was one of several Paralympians attending an event hosted by charity Motability yesterday to mark the production of the three millionth Motability car.
Attending with his wife Nyree and baby Ella, Sascha was introduced to The Queen and Prince Philip in Westminster Hall and spoke briefly with them before addressing attendees about the benefits of having a Motability car and what a difference it makes to his life.
The Queen presented the keys to the three millionth Motability car to David Smith, one of the world's leading boccia players.
The monarch is chief patron of Motability, which runs a scheme that allows disabled people to lease a car, powered wheelchair or scooter simply by using their Government-funded mobility allowances.
BMW Dealer Cotswold Hereford Gets Behind Sascha Kindred OBE for London 2012
BMW dealer Cotswold Hereford is supporting Paralympic swimmer Sascha Kindred OBE as he attempts to qualify for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
The announcement follows the appointment in 2009 of BMW Group as the Official Automotive Partner of the 2012 Games. As well as supplying over 4,000 fuel-efficient vehicles to athletes and officials throughout the 2012 Games, BMW is also actively supporting British athletes, such as Ellie Simmonds and Louis Smith, via the BMW London 2012 Performance Team. Meanwhile, in line with the Performance Team initiative, BMW dealers such as Cotswold Hereford are working with local athletes, supporting their endeavours to qualify for Team GB or ParalympicsGB.
Sascha Kindred trains at the Leominster Leisure Centre. He has been swimming since the age of 11 and at just 13 won his first international competition.
Sascha has already achieved two gold medals for Great Britain in the last three Paralympic Games he competed in. He has received many accolades for his sporting achievements and was honoured with an OBE in the 2009 New Year's Honours List for his services to Disability Sport. In addition, Sascha has twice been named Senior Sportsman of the Year in Hereford and Worcester, has received an award for Outstanding Achievement by British Swimming, and has been appointed an ambassador for the region of Herefordshire, as well as the Youth Sports Trust.
Sascha commits time to a number of activities on top of his hectic training schedule, including after dinner speeches, media interviews and school talks, where he speaks about his own experiences as a professional athlete and educates others about disability sport, the Paralympic Games, and how to remain at the top.
‘We’re really grateful to Cotswold Hereford and the BMW Group for their support,” said Sascha “It’s tough trying to qualify for a Paralympic team place and it’s a big help knowing that they are behind us, helping to raise funds and awareness. It’s also fantastic having a brand new BMW from now until the end of the Games. There’s a lot of travelling to heats, competitions and promotional events so it’s great being able to arrive there in style – and in a car that’s helping London 2012 reach its CO2 emissions target.”
Andrew Hulcoop, Cotswold Group Managing Director, said: "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get really involved in the Games. We’re really happy to be backing Sascha, he is a local athlete that has achieved so very much. He is an inspiration to all that meet him and is working extremely hard to represent his country at London 2012."
Anyone interested in following Sascha Kindred OBE and the BMW London 2012 Performance Team, should visit www.cotswoldherefordbmw.co.uk and www.bmw.co.uk/london2012.
Sascha Listed in The Guardian's Top 50 Medal Hopes for London 2012
Sascha has been named as one of Britain's Top 50 Gold Medal hopes in the Guardian online this week.
Sascha appears alongside fellow swimmers Ellie Simmonds, Matt Walker, David Roberts, Jonathan Fox and more.
Sascha is listed at number 38. See more at The Guardian.
Tickets for the Paralympic Games 2012 go on sale TODAY!
As many of you will already know by now, tickets go on sale for one of sports greatest spectacles on earth today, the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
If you aren’t already aware, where have you been? Well, don’t worry. It’s not to late to get involved.
Tickets are available on the London 2012 website and there is plenty of useful information on the site to help you on your way.
If you’re keen to go to the Paralympic Games to watch me try and defend my Paralympic titles, then here are the events that you need to be looking out for:
200M SM6 Individual Medley (reigning champion)
100M SB7 Breaststroke (reigning champion)
50M S6 Butterfly (bronze medalist in Beijing)
If you’d like to see my partner Nyree Kindred race as well, she should be swimming in the following event:
100M S6 Backstroke (silver medalist in Bejing)
Of course, there are plenty of other athletes and events to go and see too. So if you are keen on a bit of a crash course in Paralympic Sport, then a general admission pass for the day would be perfect and get you around multiple sports and multiple venues.
I truly hope you can all come and experience the wonder of the Paralympic Games next year and looking forward to seeing you there.
See more at the website of London 2012.
Sascha in London to Promote International Paralympic Day Ahead London 2012
Sascha is one of many international athletes attending the International Paralympic Day 2011 today ahead of London 2012 next year.
Sascha is attending with wife and fellow athlete Nyree Lewis who along with other International athletes Paralympic will help to showcase the Paralympic sports at London 2012, enabling the public to find out more about next year's Games.
Hosted by the London 2012 Organising Committee, the day will feature demonstrations in sports including Wheelchair Basketball, Powerlifting and Wheelchair Rugby.
A variety of ParalympicsGB stars including Oscar Pistorious, will be on hand to join in the celebrations, and there will also be information about buying Paralympic Games tickets, which go on sale from 9 September 2011.
The day will also see the International Paralympic Committee extend an invitation to athletes and National Paralympic Committees around the world to participate in the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
A number of the sessions will be made accessible by British Sign Language (BSL), Speech to Text Reporter (STTR) and Audio Description. Please see the programme below.
Speaking at the event Sascha said, 'It's great to be part of a huge event like this with a year to go which will hopefully help encourage everyone to buy tickets tomorrow.'
'I hope that many of you will be able to come down to see what the Paralympics is all about, ask questions and maybe even try out a few Paralympic sports,' he added.
The International Paralympic Day will be held at Trafalgar Square in London starting and 7.30am and go on until 8.00pm.
See more at the website of London 2012.
Sascha and Nyree say home crowd is a huge advantage
Sascha and wife Nyree were invited to speak to staff at the Lloyds TSB offices in Bristol today to help inspire staff about the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London 2012.
Sascha talking to Lloyds TSB staff.
Sascha talked to staff about his experiences as an athlete from the age of eleven right up to the present day and his most recent Paralympic success in Beijing 2008.
Sascha and Nyree then both answered questions posed by Lloyds TSB employees about what keeps them motivated as well as how much difference the home crowd at a Paralympic Games can make to an athletes performance.
Sascha said, 'To have 75% of the crowd routing for you gives you a massive boost and can make a huge difference. Even an improvement of 0.1 seconds could mean the difference between winning or losing.'
Nyree then said, 'If you look at China, the support they had made a huge difference with many unheard athletes doing well.
We hope you can all come along and would encourage you to get tickets as it will really make the difference to us,' she added.
Sascha to attend International Paralympic Day in London this Thursday
Sascha will be one of many athletes attending the International Paralympic Day 2011 in London this coming Thursday.
Sascha will attend with his wife and fellow athlete Nyree Lewis who along with other International athletes will help to showcase the Paralympic sports at London 2012, enabling the public to find out more about next year's Games.
Hosted by the London 2012 Organising Committee, the day will feature demonstrations in sports including Wheelchair Basketball, Powerlifting and Wheelchair Rugby.
Top international Paralympic athletes including gold medallist Oscar Pistorius will be in action, while spectators can also witness a Guinness World Record moment for Sitting Volleyball.
Speaking ahead of the event Sascha said, 'I'm really looking forward to being part of the day and helping to promote what is going to be an amazing spectacle of sporting achievements in London 2012.
'I hope that many of you will be able to come down to see what the Paralympics is all about, ask questions and maybe even try out a few Paralympic sports,' he added.
The International Paralympic Day will be held at Trafalgar Square in London starting and 7.30am and go on until 8.00pm.
See more at the website of London 2012.
British Swimmers pick favourite Paralympians of all time
With one year to go to the start of the Paralympics in 2012, some of Britain's top swimmers were asked who their favourite Paralympian of all time is.
Find out who they chose here.
Sascha and wife Nyree introduce Ella Rhiannon Kindred
As many of you now know, Sascha and wife Nyree gave birth to a beautiful baby girl recently and named her Ella Rhiannon Kindred.
Born at 17.31 on Saturday 18th June 2011, Ella weighed in at a healthy 7.6lbs and stretched to 51.5cm long.
Ella Rhiannon Kindred - 18/05/11, 5.31pm, 7.6lb, 51.5cm, (right) Ella enjoying her first swimming session. For more pictures, visit the gallery.
Ella is Sascha and Nyree's first child and comes after 15 years together and their marriage last year.
Speaking about the birth of Ella for the first time Sascha said, 'to become a father for the first time is an absolutely amazing experience.
'I'm so proud of Nyree and I'm delighted to have had a fabulous little baby girl, I honestly couldn't have imagined it to be any better,' he added.
Sascha's wife Nyree said after the birth, 'That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do but it was totally worth it. Ella is perfect and I'm so happy to be starting a family with Sascha.'
Sascha and Nyree have been extremely busy since the birth of Ella who is now just over a month and half old and growing fast. In between the constant changing of nappies and feeding, they've even managed to bring Ella for her first swimming session and she took to it like a duck to water.
A few more questions for the happy couple:
What was the first moment like when you saw her?
It was amazing when we first saw her. We were so happy and proud to be a mummy and daddy. She was perfect.
What's the best thing you've experienced with her so far?
Seeing her first smile when she was 4 and a half weeks old. Also bathing her as she loves being in the water and is so content lying there while you wash her.
What are you looking forward to the most?
When she focuses on our faces more and reaches for us to pick her up.
German Open Round-up
Having already broken a World Record at this weeks German Open, Sascha continued to impress with good times in the rest of his events.
Every event Sascha swam in was a multi-disability event which meant the winner was the swimmer who was closest to the World Record in their own classification.
In the 200M Individual medley, Sascha finished 1st in his classification and 2nd overall in a time of 1:43.70. (He finished 2nd overall as there was one swimmer closer to the World Record in their own classification).
In the 100M Breaststroke, Sascha finished 1st in his classification and 2nd overall in a time of 1:22.52.
In the 50M Butterfly, Sascha finished 1st in his classificaiton and 5th overall in a time of 32.09 seconds. The time was a new European Record for Sascha.
Speaking after the event Sascha said, 'I'm really pleased with the way I swam, especially in the 100M Breaststroke and 50M Butterfly. To go one minute twenty two in the 100M Breaststroke was really encouraging as I've not concentrated on that for the last year.'
'It was also great to see teams from around the world at the event including Brazil and Australia. Countries are gearing up for London 2012 next year so events like this are a good opportunity for swimmers ahead of the games.'
Sascha Breaks 100m Butterfly World Record at German Open
Sascha has continued to impress this year as he broke another World Record, this time in the 100M S6 Butterfly.
Sascha won in a new World Record time of 1:10.76 at the German Open in Berlin, an event he has regularly attended, and sets the record ahead of the European Championships, also in Berlin, in July this year.
Sascha Selected on Strong British team for IPC Europeans in Berlin
British Swimming today announced a 43-strong squad for the IPC European Championships in Berlin in July which included Sascha Kindred.
The squad includes names old and new including the likes of Eleanor Simmonds, Sam Hynd, Matthew Walker and Liz Johnson, all gold medalists from Beijing 2008.
Sascha will be aiming to defend the three titles he won in Reykjavik in 2009 and in doing so would add to the eleven medals already won at European Championships since France over 15 years ago in 1995.
If Sascha picks up one medal from the Championships he would also reach an incredible milestone of fifty major international championship medals, a truly outstanding feat which many athletes would be proud of.
Speaking about his selection Sascha said, 'I can't believe it has been sixteen years since my first European Championships.
'To be swimming for this long and having the privilege of defending the same 100M Breaststroke title since I first won it in 1995 is an honour and I hope I can defend it again.'
Sascha Picks up Gold Number 2 in Sheffield.
Sascha picked up a second gold medal at the British International Disability Swimming Championships today winning the 100M SB6 Breasstroke.
Sascha hadn't swum teh 100M Breaststroke evet throughout 2010 but looked dominant throughout the final to touch home in a time of 1:23.68.
'I'm happy with that' Sascha said. 'It was as trong swim again and similar to yesterday now I'm looking forward to Berlin.'
'I wanted to focus on the Medley and the Fly at last year's worlds. The breaststroke event has moved on and the bar has been raised so it is going to be a tough one to defend in London.' he added.
Sascha Wins 200M Individual Medley Gold in New World Record Time
Sascha travelled to Sheffield today to compete in the first of four events at the British International Disability Swimming Championships.
With the aim of cementing his place for the European Championships in Berlin in July, Sascha was looking to post some good times in his favourite events including the 200M SM6 Individual Medley and the 100M SB6 Breaststroke.
First up, was Sascha's main event the 200M Individual Medley, an event in which he has shown now signs of slowing down in with age and he was not to dissappoint yet again.
Sascha continued his impressive build-up for the European Championships by breaking his own 200M Individual Medley World Record in a new time of two minutes 41.99 seconds beating his previous record by two tenths of a second.
Sascha was impressive throughout swimming solid legs in all four strokes and turning quickly to ensure victory as well as the World Record.
Speaking after the race Sascha said, 'The last four weeks training has been difficult because I've had an infection, so I wasn't that confident coming into the meet. But I am really chuffed with my form on the night and that I just managed to dip under 2:42.'
Sascha now looks forward to the 100M SB6 Breaststroke on Saturday 9th.
Sascha Wins Second Gold at British Championships.
Swimming in his second race of the Brittish Gas Swimming Championships, Sascha won his second gold in the 200m Individual Medley Multi-Disability race.
Touching home in a time of 2.45.94, Sascha (SM6) picked up an impressive 934 points ahead of Sam Hynd (SM8) who took silver and Tom Young (SM8) who took bronze.
'I felt really strong out there and got a strong time so things are looking good for Berlin later in the year,' he said.
Sascha Breaks European 50m Butterfly Record at British Championships.
Sascha sent a statement to the rest of the World after setting a new European record in the 50m Butterfly at the British Gas Swimming Championships in Manchester.
Competing in the first of his main events, Sascha was confident from the outset swimming well to take victory in the Multi Disability points event with a score of 872 after touching home in 32.23.
'That was my first swim of the week so that was a good start,' he said.
'I've had a good taper so I really wanted to try and qualify. I've beaten the record so I can't do more than that.'
Sascha now moves onto his favourite event of 200M (SM6) Individual Medley on Thursday 10th March.
Read Sascha's first Blog on Learn to Swim Scheme Website
Sascha wrote his first blog for the Learn to Swim Scheme Website today, run by Sascha's sponsors Southern Water.
The blog will give an insight into Sascha's life whether it be training, dieting, competitions, events general news or anything else that may be of interest.
The blog will be updated regularly by Sascha up to and beyond London 2012.
To keep up to date, visit Sascha's Blog on the Southern Water website.