Paralympic swimmer David Hill has broken a British 400m Individual Medley record at the South West Youth Championships at Millfield School at the weekend.

18-year-old Hill, a student at Kelly College in Devon, smashed the previous record in the SM9 category set in 1992 by almost a minute, lowering it to 5:41.04.

"I was surprised at my time,” said Hill. “I’ve never done a 400IM in competition before, but my coach wanted me to swim the event as a measure of my fitness and also to have a crack at this long standing record.

“I have been studying hard for my A-levels recently so the Championships were a welcome break and the result has given me a real confidence boost."

Hill will be taking a gap year following his A-level exams in June, but will remain at the college with his coach to focus his attention on the Beijing Paralympics.

-ENDS-

For more information contact British Swimming media officer Amanda Smith on 01509 632238, 07876 652 318 or email amanda.smith@swimming.org

British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain.  It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (Amateur Swimming Association), Scotland (Scottish Amateur Swimming Association) and Wales. (Welsh Amateur Swimming Association)  British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
www.britishswimming.org

Speedo® is the world's leading swimwear brand. Founded in Sydney in 1928 Speedo has over 75 years of heritage and expertise in swimwear and launched the FASTSKIN® FS-PRO, the fastest most powerful lightweight suit on the market, in 2007. Speedo is the Official Supplier to British Swimming and the ASA and provides valuable investment for swimming from grassroots through to elite level.
www.speedo.co.uk