Ben Proud

Ben Proud has been making quite a name for himself in recent years. With a clutch of gold and silver medals under his belt, he was also voted Plymouth Herald’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2014. He has also secured two bronze medals at the European Aquatics Championships 2016 (for 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle).

In 2014, still only 19 years old, Ben won his first senior international medals, claiming the 50m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly double on his Commonwealth Games debut for England at Glasgow 2014. He then added 50m Butterfly bronze and 4x100m Medley Relay gold for Great Britain at his first European Championships the following month.

After taking two senior titles at the 2015 British Championships in the 50m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly, Ben qualified for the World Championships in Kazan where he made the finals for both events respectively.

He carved his name in the history books three months later as he blew Mark Foster’s 10-year old British 50m Butterfly record out of the water, breaking it in the semis and final en route to his first British Swimming Championship title. His reputation has been ever growing within and outside of his sports field.

At the British Swimming Championships in April 2016 Ben won a silver medal in the 100m Freestyle and won the 50m Freestyle in an Olympic-qualifying time. Ben was subsequently selected to represent GB at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where he achieved fourth place in final of the 50m Freestyle. The 21-year-old swimmer also won bronze medals in the 50m Butterfly and 50m Freestyle at the European Aquatics Championships in May 2016.

In July 2017 Ben become World Champion, powering to a gold medal at the World Championships. He lowered his own British record to win the 50m butterfly final in 22.75 seconds. In April 2018 he won gold for England in the 50m Freestyle at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.