Liz takes step closer to Paralympic Games
12th April 2012
Team Bath swimmer Liz Johnson has moved a step closer to her goal of competing at her third successive Paralympic Games.
Liz, gold medallist in the SB6 100m breaststroke at the Beijing 2008 Games, just missed out on achieving a qualifying time for the Games at the British International Disability Swimming Championships in Sheffield at the weekend.
That meant she wasn’t on the 16-strong list of swimmers already selected by the British Paralympic Association for the Games. But she did feature on a list of 26 nominations from British Swimming that were accepted by the British Paralympic Association’s Qualification and Selection Panel. These places are subject to formal confirmation of the slots made available for London 2012 by the International Paralympic Committee.
That means Liz, who is coached at the University of Bath by Mark Skimming, will have to wait until early June to find out whether she will get to compete at the2012 Games.
Liz’s time of 1:42.64 in the 100m breaststroke final in Sheffield was less than asecond outside the time that won her gold at the Beijing Paralympic Games but was faster than the time that won her silver at her Paralympic Games debut in Athens in 2004. Liz was swimming well in Sunday's final and was on pace to make the time until her right shoulder slipped out of its socket.
But there was disappointment for fellow Team Bath swimmers and Paralympians Kate Grey and David Hill, who both missed out on selections for the Games. Neither featured on the nominations list.
Mark Skimming, Team Bath head swimming coach, said: “Kate and Dave have worked hard to achieve their goals over the past four years, unfortunately it has not happened due to many reasons.
“However it has been a pleasure to work with them over that last four years. Both are now taking an extended break pursue other things and will decide on the future of their swimming in time.”