DROITWICH’S Paralympic silver medallist Rebecca Redfern will represent Team GB at Para-swimming’s European Championships.
Rebecca, who came second in the SB13 100m breaststroke final in her debut Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016, will form part of a 24-strong team which will head out to Dublin in August.
The 18-year-old Worcester Swimming Club star was selected following her appearance at the British Para-Swimming International Meet in Sheffield where she came 27th in the SM13 category.
Rebecca’s father Steve told the Standard: “Rebecca is looking forward to her first major tournament since Rio because last year’s World Championships in Mexico City were cancelled due to the earthquake.
“Rebecca is in the middle of studying for her A-Levels which is a nightmare but she’s still training through those exams.
“She is hoping to put on a strong show in Dublin to act as a spring board to next year’s World Championships in Malaysia with the ultimate aim of reaching the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.”
At the age of nine, Rebecca was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa, which will lead to her becoming near or totally blind.
She is blind in dim light and has ‘tunnel vision’ with only a ten degree visual field – compared to the 160 degree field of someone without visual impairment.
Rob Aubry, British Para-Swimming head coach, added: “We saw some excellent performances at the British Para-Swimming International Meet.
“We set competitive selection times deliberately to bring out the best in our swimmers and test what they can do in the pressure of the arena and many rose to the challenge.
“The Europeans will be a challenging meet but I am certain we have selected the right swimmers for the job.”