Leo McCrea, who studies Sports Management at the University, won a gold in the 100m SB5 breaststroke competition at the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Leo said: “It still feels like a dream, but I am trying to keep my lifestyle about the same just to not go over the top with reacting to everything.
“The amount of competitions I had from a young age means I am really ready for these things now, and that takes the nerves out of it.
“My next goal is to win the World Championships, because that would be the way to make what I have achieved bigger and better.
“We’ve got world championships next summer, so I’m going to try to set the world record at the next competition.”
Though Leo comes from Poole, he represented Switzerland, where his father came from, for a series of smaller contests before qualifying for his first Paralympic Games at Tokyo 2020.
Leo must now balance his physical and academic commitments, with Bournemouth University supporting him in his student life to help him manage his assignments, as he prepares for the championships next year.
His journey began at training camp years before his first Olympics and continues to juggle his responsibilities.
Before competing in the Paralympics, Leo was at training camp and must now balance his physical and academic commitments.
Leo said the university have been understanding of his situation by not setting too many assignments and making it easier for him to balance his commitments.
The 2025 World Championships will be the next big swimming competition, in which Leo hopes to bring more medals back to Bournemouth.
Leo plans to head to Los Angeles in 2028 for the next Paralympic Games if he gets selected to join the Switzerland team for a third time, and hopes to replicate his success so far.
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