Hector Pardoe's Tokyo turmoil will harden him ahead of Paris 2024

Hector Pardoe has been told his Tokyo turmoil will harden him for the heat of Paris Olympic battle. The Wrexham marathon swimming star, 21, competed at his first Olympics in Japan but was unable to finish the race after suffering a serious eye injury midway through. Ad But Keri-anne Payne, a Beijing 2008 marathon swimming silver medallist, believes that crucial first Olympic experience combined with three years more training will ensure Pardoe is equipped to roll with the punches in Paris.

SwimmingSwimming star Mkwasa ready to push on and fulfill potential06/03/2023 AT 18:45 The 35-year-old, speaking ahead of exactly 500 days to go until the Games this week, said: «The open water team in Britain at the moment is still a young team but it's really important for Hector to have had that previous Olympic experience. »With it being such a weird year with Covid, I really hope Hector's training has been more robust this year. «Training for an Olympics by yourself, in an endless pool in your garden when you're a long-distance swimmer, that is really tough.

»But now, hopefully he's had this time to work on his tactics. «Between Beijing and London I spent four years just racing as much as I could to try and deal with the punches, literally. »It can be tough in that environment, but you've got to roll with it and not let that affect you, so hopefully that's what he took from Tokyo and it helps inspire him to Paris." Payne was catapulted into the spotlight during the Beijing 2008 Olympics after she won a silver medal in the women's 10km event.