Winning medals is never easy

20th November 2025

And finally, we win some medals! With today seeing the beginning of the swimming competition, GB got off to a strong start with Charlotte Gower winning a gold in the 200 IM, quickly followed by Kathy Wun winning a bronze in the 400M Freestyle.

It is a special feeling winning, especially knowing that our athletes have already faced some challenging barriers compared to other countries who are fully funded by their respective governments.

Elsewhere we saw Oliver Pritchard our triathlete turned cyclist pipped to 4th place against an extraordinarily strong line up. We should not underestimate the work that Oliver has put in not just as an athlete but also as a spokesperson for Deaf sport.

Paul Waring and Lydia Ingham both achieved 6th placing in their respective singles and whilst the others battled hard the standard was extremely high.

What is becoming clear is that the standard of performances at the Deaflympics is higher than ever following an increase in global participation in Deaf sport where we see more Deaf athletes pushing to perform from many different countries.

Here at GB, we look on with envy at how the other national federations are increasingly aligning their training programs with mainstream Olympic and paralympic standards, providing their deaf athletes access to better funding as well as dedicated coaching, facilities, and sports science to help them perform at their best.

Compared to past decades, standards have risen dramatically. Earlier Deaflympics often had smaller pools of competitors and less stringent qualification. Now, the bar is set much higher, meaning performances are faster, stronger, and more technically refined. While this raises the prestige of medals, it also increases pressure. Athletes must balance the honour of competing at the centenary Games with the challenge of meeting world‑class standards.

This has got me thinking about how we build for the future with our Deaf athletes in the UK, there is a lot we can learn from other nations in terms of building a system that it is fit for purpose, however, this needs investment to create a healthy world class programme designed for deaf athletes.

Lets hope we win some more medals so everyone begins to take notice.