Derventio eXcel swimmer Dave Ellis to compete in Beijing
Derventio eXcel swimmer Dave Ellis, has fulfilled his potential by qualifying for this year’s paralympics games in Beijing following some outstanding swims at Ponds Forge Pool, Sheffield.
Dave qualified with a British record swim in the 200m individual medley heats and missed a world record by only half a second, clocking 2.20.87. He then went on to win the final with another impressive time of 2.21.68.
Derventio Head Coach was delighted: “I’ve still not come down from the ceiling,” said Rose, who had watched Ellis miss qualifying at his previous attempt a fortnight earlier. “Dave’s swim was on a different level to what he produced two weeks ago. As soon as he got in the water, you could tell it was going to be a good one. His fly was easy and fluent and his backstroke was excellent too. But it was his breaststroke that really made all the difference. His split time was two seconds faster than at the British Championships and that made all the difference.
Rose is confident that Ellis can continue to improve significantly before the trip to Beijing and is quick to emphasise how rapidly the swimmer – ranked in the top three in the world in a number of events – has developed.
“The success has come very quickly for him and to be swimming at this level, although he has been to World Championships and has had international success, is still relatively new to him. What people forget, and what I sometimes forget as a coach, is that he is quite inexperienced at this level. But he has every reason to be confident. The target was always to qualify for Beijing. Now he is in, I believe he will be able to challenge for a medal, although as we saw from the British Championships, the world has moved on in respect of the times being achieved. To get a medal, Dave will probably have to swim sub-2.20 but I think he is well capable of that.”
Ellis said: “I am pretty pleased with my performances. I came here with the aim of gaining the qualification time I just missed out on at the British Championships, and claiming a British record is definitely a bonus for me. To have come here and swim under the qualification time twice has been great for me. I haven’t really tapered for this competition, so this result gives me a lot of confidence.”
The result means that Derventio eXcel squad member Ellis has a selection of events he can swim in Beijing. Obtaining one qualifying time unlocks the door to a number of others and, although the 200m medley is his favoured event, he could choose as many as six others.
Ellis now concentrates full time on swimming, having quit university to focus on his sporting ambitions. He added: “I have put my studies on hold. I decided that, with this being a Paralympic year, I needed to concentrate on my swimming. You have to do it when you have the opportunity and this is my chance.