Barry McClements

Started: He began swimming at age 10 at Ards Swimming Club in Newtownards, Northern Ireland. He took part in his first competition at age 11. (belfastlive.co.uk, 26 Jun 2023; Athlete, 09 Sep 2019) Reason: His school was going to start swimming lessons so he wanted to learn. "Swimming is my passion. When I'm in the water I'm just like everyone else." (belfastlive.co.uk, 18 Apr 2016) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. After he retires from competition he would like to become a coach. (belfasttelegraph.co.uk, 26 Jun 2023; Instagram profile, 02 Sep 2021) Milestones: He became the first swimmer [Para or non-Para] representing Northern Ireland to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games by claiming bronze in the men's S9 100m backstroke at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, England. (SportsDeskOnline, 03 Oct 2022; bbc.co.uk, 29 Jul 2022) Awards: He received special recognition awards from Swim Ulster for competing at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and the 2019 World Championships in London, England. (Ards Swimming Club Facebook page, 13 Nov 2021; swimulster.net, 09 Nov 2019) Additional Info: MATURING FOR PARIS His goals for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris are different to what he aspired to achieve at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "Tokyo for me was about making the finals. Getting into those big finals and experiencing it. I did it in the 100m backstroke in Tokyo and I really wanted it in the 100m butterfly as well and I was left disappointed. I think I'm just more mature now [for Paris 2024], I've got a European medal to my name, a Commonwealth medal. More motivated really. When I was 19, I was doing it more for enjoyment but in my head, I was more stressed about the goals. My training wasn't very good in the lead-up - that was on me, I didn't show up when I should have shown up and things like that. Again, the immaturity. Now I've put the work in and I'm going to continue to put the work in. You can enjoy it while going through the process and whatever comes with that is a bonus." (the42.ie, 07 Jun 2024) FRACTURED FEMUR He suffered a fractured femur in 2023, which threatened his hopes of competing at the 2024 Paralympic Games. The injury occurred when he was walking down a steep hill with friends and fell. "My femur was fractured just at the bottom. The doctors hadn't experienced anything like that with a stump. Some of them were saying, 'You might not be back until April', and I was crying and stuff, obviously. But it healed way faster than they expected and didn't need any surgery. They were [initially] talking about screws and that. The doctors were like, 'Stay out of the pool', but I said, 'I can't not!' I was just doing 15 minutes, just my arms really, trying not to move my legs." (the42.ie, 07 Jun 2024) EARLY DAYS Having begun competing against non-disabled swimmers, he almost quit swimming at age 13, but his father persuaded him to continue for one more season. He was then spotted by Paralympics Ireland, which led to him becoming classified to compete internationally in Para swimming. "One of their coaches saw me in competition and took me to get internationally classified. I qualified for the European championships and only missed qualifying for the Rio [Paralympic Games] by one second. I was only 14 so it was a real confidence boost that I could get that close at that age." (belfastlive.co.uk, 26 Jun 2023) TATTOOS He has a number of tattoos that celebrate his sporting achievements, including a Paralympic symbol, one in honour of his Commonwealth Games medal, and a half-sleeve dedicated to the 2020 Paralympic Games. "I want to get [the Tokyo 2020 tattoo] finished but it's very expensive. The story of the koi fish in Japanese culture, it gets rewarded [and turns] into a golden dragon for when it jumps up a waterfall so it's a story of perseverance and never giving up. The plan was after Paris [2024] to get the dragon." (the42.ie, 07 Jun 2024)

Sporting Relatives: His father Barry is a former semi-professional snooker player. (the42.ie, 07 Jun 2024)