Grace Harvey

Started: She learned to swim at age four, and joined Hoddesdon Swimming Club in Hertfordshire, England, at age nine. She was classified as a Para swimmer at age 11. (herts.ac.uk, 01 Sep 2020; studentnews.manchester.ac.uk, 06 Jan 2020; sportsaid.org.uk, 01 Oct 2012) Reason: She first took up swimming as a form of physiotherapy, to help control spasms in her legs. But after watching the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, she decided she wanted to compete. "I decided to join a swimming club because I watched the Paralympics and saw people who walked like me. I remember thinking, 'Oh wow, I want to do that too!'" (studentnews.manchester.ac.uk, 06 Jan 2020; activityalliance.org.uk, 08 Dec 2017; sportsaid.org.uk, 01 Oct 2012) Awards: She was named Athlete of the Year at the 2022 University of Manchester Athletic Union Sports Awards in England. (sport.manchester.ac.uk, 10 May 2022) In 2018 she was named Fresher of the Year at the University of Manchester Sports Awards. (Twitter profile, 18 Jul 2018) In 2012 she was named Para Athlete of the Year by the borough of Broxbourne, England. (sportsaid.org.uk, 10 Mar 2014) Additional Info: FIRST FOOTSTEPS IN JAPAN In January 2020, while on a three-week training camp with the British national team in Suzuka, Japan, she was able to walk for the first time in her life thanks to a robotic suit developed by Suzuka University of Medical Science. "We were invited to the Suzuka medical university. Japan have an ageing population and they were looking at something that could help them, so I was asked if I would like to participate and try it on and I said yes, definitely. It was a suit with some wires which picks up the messages in your brain and allows the leg muscles to walk. It was the first time that I had ever stood up flat, and to experience what an able-bodied life was like was completely indescribable. It was an opportunity I never thought I would have, and I was on cloud nine." (thebigkickoff.com, 20 May 2020) FURTHER EDUCATION In 2022 she began studying for a master's degree in dental public health at the University of Manchester in England. "I'm incredibly fortunate to live both the life of a student and of an athlete performing at the highest level. There are very few people who do the two at the same time and to achieve well at both is something I want to do. It is quite difficult balancing them and a lot of it involves really good time planning. I also want to use my platform as an athlete to champion the three things I am passionate about - academia, sport and dental health." (sport.manchester.ac.uk, 10 Aug 2023; bbc.com, 30 Jul 2023; LinkedIn profile, 01 Sep 2022)