Interview with Paralympian Nyree Lewis

Sport: Swimming
Born: 21/09/80
Lives: Hereford

Nyree, who was voted Cerebral Palsy Swimmer of the Year in 99 and 03, made her Paralympic debut in Sydney in 2000, where she won silver in the 100m backstroke and bronze in the 100m breaststroke and 4x50 medley relay. She returned to the Games in Athens in 2004 where she won gold in the 100m backstroke and 4x50m medley relay and silver in the 100m breaststoke and 200m individual medley.

Interview Transcript

Hi, I'm Nyree Lewis and I'm a swimmer

Q How did you get into your sport?
A I started swimming when I was 5 years old, my auntie took me to a local swimming club and I've been swimming ever since, and I've been on the team since 1999.

Q What do you enjoy most about your sport?
A I enjoy competing, and I enjoy the travelling, and even though the training is hard, I do enjoy it.

Q What does a typical day in your sport involve?
A I'd say a typical Monday I get up around 6, leave the house about half past six, something like that, and then I swim 7 - 9, a two hour session, and then I do gym for an hour sometime in the morning, have some breakfast first, have a bit of rest and then in the evening I swim again for another 2 hours.

Q What do you hope to achieve in your sport in the future?
A I'm hoping to go to the Beijing paralympics, and hopefully retain my 100 backstroke title and, you know, see what else I do and anything else really - I do the 400 metres freestyle and the 200 medley as well. So see where I go on those.

Q How do you relax when you are not competing?
A Watch tv, read books, go out shopping or go home and see my family because I live about an hour and half away from them, so I just go home and see them.

Q What advice would you give someone who wants to take up your sport?
A enjoy it, be committed as well, and you know just be passionate about it. I train really hard but I enjoy it, so yeah I think the enjoyment is definitely quite big.

Q What have you got out of this camp in Macau?
A It's to see what the environment is going to be like, and obviously Beijing is not that far away, and get the climate, and you know the food, and make sure you drink plenty because its going to be quite hot while we're here, and that kind of thing, and being in a camp environment, and being away from home.