Young hoping to make a big splash at the Paralympics (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Young hoping to make a big splash at the Paralympics

9:30am Friday 31st August 2012 in Sport By Scott Kirk, Reporter

NEWBIGGIN’S Tom Young embarks on his Paralympic adventure when he takes to the pool for his first swim at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park in the heats at 9.30am today.

The six foot five 21-year-old, who was born with a club arm, narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and has a real chance of a medal at the London Games.

After the disappointment of four years ago, Young’s career took off when he won two silvers and a bronze at the 2009 European Championships in Reykjavik, Iceland.

The following season, he lifted his first IPC World Championship title for the S8 400m freestyle and won two bronzes in the S8 100m backstroke and SM8 200m individual medley in Eindhoven, before winning gold in his first British Gas Swimming Championships.

He took gold in the MC 100m breaststroke last year. He also brought home his first European gold in the SB7 100m breaststroke in Berlin.

Young, who is now based at the City of Manchester Aquatics centre, is competing in six events at the Paralympics, beginning with the S8 400m freestyle. The heats take place at 9.30am tomorrow with the final at 5.30pm.

On Saturday he is in action in the SB7 100m breaststroke, with the heats at 11.40am ahead of an evening final, before competing in the S8 50m freestyle on Monday in the heats at 11.27am, and the final at 7.47pm.

Tuesday sees him take part in the S8 100m backstroke and he will be on at 9.30am ahead of a 5.30pm final, while his penultimate competition is the SM8 200m individual medley on Wednesday.

His last action will see him go for gold in the S8 100m freestyle next Thursday in the heats at 11.01am, and if he qualifies the final at 7.14pm.

Meanwhile more than 38 Sport Makers and their friends are enjoying the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games live after receiving tickets through the Ticketshare initiative.

Forty Cumbrian Sport Makers have already used their pair of tickets at the Olympic Games and 36 people from Cumbria will be going to the Paralympics.

Sport Makers who completed 10 hours or more organising or leading sport in their local community were eligible for tickets through the Sport England legacy programme delivered by Active Cumbria.

Sport Makers is part of Sport England’s Olympic legacy programme Places People Play, which is bringing the London Games into communities across England and is being delivered by the network of 49 county sports partnerships, working with local clubs and providers.