Year 8 Student, Henry Farr has recently discovered he has been selected for the Surrey County Development Programme, which is the first step onto the Swim England talent pathway.
Year 8 student, Henry Farr, has been a dedicated swimmer for many years now. Having his first swimming lesson at the age of six months, he has always loved being in the water, but his passion really took off in March 2020 when he joined his first swimming club.
Since then, Henry has been training five times a week for around two hours a session, and his commitment has paid off as he has achieved over 21 Gold, 14 silver, and 16 bronze medals through competing in local competitions. Earlier this year he swam at the Surrey County Swimming Championships and not only qualified for seven events but medalled in three! Securing silver in 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, and 200m backstroke it placed him in second place for these events for the whole county!
However, Henry was trilled to learn recently that he has been chosen for the Surrey County Development Programme, which is the first step on the Swim England Talent Pathway. He has been working towards this independently in order to meet the required qualifying times for the programme and creep up the Surrey rankings. This is a fantastic achievement and is testament to the dedication and commitment of Henry.
Henry originally got into competitive swimming after someone spotted he had a talent for it and suggested he join a club, however, Henry says that a surprise added bonus to the sport he loves is the improvements he has seen in his asthma. Henry is a great advocate for others to get into the sport, commenting that is not only a great way to keep healthy and meet new people, but that it is a “great way to clear your mind and give you something to focus on”.
Congratulations Henry, we are all very proud of you here at OAC.
