Medal-winning athlete Hannah Russell is hoping that European competition this summer will give her the boost she needs to hit Paralympic gold in September.
Hannah, who studies Sport Science at Salford University, is in training for the IPC European Championships and is looking to hit personal best times in all three of her main events: butterfly, backstroke and freestlyle.
The 19-year-old partially sighted student won a silver and two bronzes at the London 2012 Paralympics, and has broken the world record for 100m backstroke twice.
She now competes in the S12 classification and in between studies at Salford trains at the High Performance Centre in Manchester.
Despite the recent acclaim, the Surrey-born swimmer is focusing more on the fun side of the sport. She told the University: “It’s just over 200 days to go until the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games – time is going to fly by!
“I am making sure I give 110% in every aspect of my training, whilst having a smile on my face and enjoying the journey!
Hannah combines her university work with a blog she authors for Salford University Student Union about inspiring women.
The Olympic swimmer will be part of a 25-strong team in Madeira, when she will look to add to her impressive tally of medals in the pool.
The University is looking forward to see Russell return home from the European Championships and wished her the best of luck in a statement earlier today.
Main image © British Swimming
