Hector Pardoe is out for redemption in Paris after his Olympic debut was cruelly cut short.
The Wrexham-born open water specialist has become a staple in the British team at every major meet since his time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Pardoe, who covers 85km in the pool every week, marked himself out as one to watch by becoming the first British swimmer to win a world junior open water medal with bronze in 2016.
Having started out at Ellesmere College, he took a plunge and moved to France to train in 2020 and made his Olympic debut in the marathon event at Tokyo 2020.
Now back training in the UK, Pardoe kicked on in the Paris cycle. In 2023, he set a new record for the fastest swim from end to end of Lake Windermere. He covered the largest natural lake in England in 3 hours 40 minutes and 28 seconds, surpassing the previous record by eight minutes and raising money for charity in the process.
Pardoe won a historic 10km bronze at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, becoming the first British man to win a global open water medal since Welsh compatriot David Davies, securing a quota place for Paris 2024.
Pardoe’s partner Cassandre Beaugrand won gold for France in the triathlon, and the 23-year-old is hoping to follow her lead.
“I was hungry as a 20-year-old going into Tokyo. But after receiving that [injury] and having that Olympic dream cut short, it’s really pushed me to new levels of motivation and discipline,” he said. “As a top sportsman you have to move on and see that the past is the past. I’m writing a new narrative – Paris is hopefully going to be that for me.”
The men’s marathon swimming event takes place at 06:30 BST on Friday, 9 August.
