Wellington’s Ben Austin was officially named by the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) as a member of the 35-person swimming team to contest the Beijing Olympics from September 6 to 17.
The veteran will be seen as one of the senior members of the team, competing in what will be his third Paralympics along with freestyle champion Alex Hadley, Daniel Bell and Marayke Jones.
The 27-year-old already has nine Paralympic medals including two golds under his belt and is adamant he is no “has been”.
He will be carrying career best form into the event. The above the elbow amputee swam a personal best time of 59.08 seconds in the 100m freestyle final at the recent Australian Swimming Championships to be ranked second in the world and set two other world records in the S8 category.
“I’m not just going to Beijing to make three Paralympics - my aim is to go there and win a medal and swim faster than I have ever swum before,” he said.
Austin said the enthusiasm of the younger competitors had made him work harder.
“There’s always plenty of challengers waiting to knock you off your throne when you have been around for a while - the younger swimmers keeps me on my toes and it also allows me to show leadership.”
He believed the team would finish higher than Athens - where they were ranked fifth overall.
“I think we’ll improve upon Athens, we are climbing up the ladder,” he said.
The team includes 18 new faces who will make their Paralympic debut at the Games in September.
It is the largest Australian team to compete at an overseas Paralympics and boasts eight current world-record holders including 20-year-old star Matt Cowdrey, who smashed three records at last month’s trials in Sydney.
Head coach Brendan Keogh said the team has what it takes to maintain Australia’s reputation as a powerhouse in paralympic swimming.