SWIMMER Tom Young will return to the Lake District this weekend as a world champion after he stormed to gold at the IPC World Swimming Championships in Eindhoven.

Young, 19, of Newbiggin, Kirkby Lonsdale, collected two bronze medals on Sunday before storming to the top of the podium in the 400m freestyle event on Tuesday, clocking 4:36.45.

He said: “This is amazing. I didn’t expect to come away from the race with the gold medal. I have worked so hard on my freestyle and I have just lowered my PB by 11 seconds. I had a plan going into that race and it clearly worked and I am chuffed to be world champion.”

Young, who was born with an absent right hand and forearm, and club feet, swam a perfectly timed race and went into the lead at the start. He swam well to extend his lead for the final 100m and finished clear of the field.

On Sunday he collected bronze medals in the 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley, but had to settle for fourth in the 100m breaststroke and missed out on the 50m freestyle final on Wednesday.

His success comes off the back of a superb Paralympic World Cup in Manchester where he won a gold medal in the 100m backstroke and after missing out on the Paralympics in Beijing in 2008 by just 0.3 seconds, Young is determined to be on the starting blocks in London in two years.

“It was a bitter disappointment to miss the Beijing Games but I am planning London to be my first Paralympics now,” said Young. “We should have the home crowd as well but there is a lot of training to do first.”

His mum, Rita Young, could not be prouder of Tom’s achievements since he took up swimming aged nine - when she said he seemed to be a natural!

She added: “Tom was so focused and confident coming into the championships. All his swims were PB times and he told me he could get the gold and he did it in style! Its fantastic and just reward for all the hard training he has put in.”

British Disability Swimming’s national performance director John Atkinson has also seen Young blossom since he joined the Manchester High Performance Centre in 2007.

Atkinson said: “The competition started well for Tom on Sunday and he is in good form. He works very hard and is a fine young man. He is still learning the 400m event and had his best time, but he has competition in another Englishman, Sam Hyne, so hopefully they will push each other in the event.

“The thing for Tom is that this was a stepping stone to the 2012 Paralympics in London and he will now refocus for the European Championships in Berlin next year, before pushing to be in the British team for the Games in July 2012.”

Thomas Young Timeline
1991: Born with absent right hand and forearm and club feet
1994: Learnt to swim
2003: Started competitive swimming under the S8 classification (freestyle, fly, backstroke), SB7 (breaststroke) and SM8 (individual medley)
2003: Won the Cumbria Sports Performance Award for Disability
2005: Won the National Junior Sports Award
2007: First British records for 50m and 100m backstroke
2007: Accepted into Gallica swimming club in Lancashire and the Manchester High Performance Centre
2008: Missed out on qualification for the Beijing Paralympics by 0.3 seconds
2008: Won 3 gold and 4 silver medals at the Danish Open Championships
2009: First European record for 50m backstroke
2009: Won 2 silver medals and a bronze at the World Long Course Swimming Championships in Reykjavik
2009: Won 2 bronze medals at the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Rio de Janeiro
2010: Qualified for World Long Course Swimming Championships in Eindhoven in August
2010: Won a gold medal at the BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester
2010: Wins 400m freestyle gold at the Paralympic World Championships in Eindhoven