Ricky
Pendleton

After nearly two decades competing internationally, Rick Pendleton is as proud a Paralympian as any.

This was not always the case. For many years, he kept the fact he had represented his country at a Paralympic Games under wraps. But as the movement has grown, so too has Rick, and with four Paralympic campaigns now under his belt, Rick has come to appreciate everything that being a Paralympian represents, is inspired by the athletes he competes alongside, and celebrates the opportunity to elevate the status of people with a disability in Australia.

Rick made his Paralympic debut in 2004. He contested five events and three finals, winning a gold medal in the men’s 4x100m medley 34 Points, and placing fourth and seventh in the men’s 200m individual medley SM10 and men’s 100m breaststroke SB9.

A measly seven hundredths of a second separated fourth from third in the individual medley, and it is exactly that which spurred Rick on to Paralympic glory when the Games came knocking four years later in Beijing.

Following a three-year hiatus post the 2008 Paralympic Games, Rick returned to the pool like he had never left. He won a pair of bronze medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and a third at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.

Now finalising his preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Rick is also beginning to think about life outside the pool. Pool adjacent, he dreams of emulating coaching greats – of the late Jan Cameron’s ilk – and successfully training the next generation of swim stars.