Jordan’s journey has not been without its challenges. In September 2019, he felt that to achieve his dream of Olympic success; he needed to change his training program and coaches to give him the best opportunity to advance further. Jordan opted to join Team Waveney, a recently formed Suffolk based swim team that brings together two local clubs, Beccles Kingfishers and Lowestoft & Oulton Broad.
Working with the coaches at Team Waveney, Jordan instantly felt he had made the right decision, with his training on a level he had never felt before. As a result, his enthusiasm and belief in himself meant he was producing his best swims.
In January 2019, Jordan spent a month in Japan with British Swimming as part of his preparation for what was meant to be the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. While out on the camp, Jordan carried on producing his outstanding swims, which did not go unnoticed by the Head Coaches of British Swimming. On returning to the UK at the start of February, Jordan’s training was moved up a gear in preparation for the British Trials in April.
Unfortunately, as the pandemic took hold and the country was put in lockdown, the British Trials never happened as all Swimming came to an abrupt halt. Undiminished, Jordan kept his fitness going with the help of club coaches and his PT trainer. During his training, he even carried out a charity cycle ride in his back garden, raising hundreds of pounds for the local Lido and NHS, impressively cycling 200 miles in one go.
Thanks to Beccles Lido, Jordan gained access to the pool, as an elite athlete around the end of May. From there, Jordan quickly got himself back into form and was achieving times in training that matched pre-lockdown.
In November and December, Jordan competed in the Virtual World Championships. He recorded the fastest times against other swimmers from around the world in the 50-meter butterfly and 100-meter freestyle disciplines.
The latest lockdown did not surprise his training team, and they have been planning for such an event. Jordan has recently taken advantage of the Manchester National Centre’s facilities, which allowed him to continue his training in the pool during this lockdown and keep his Olympic dream alive. The national pool in Manchester is only open to those selected by British Swimming with training regimes, sometimes taking up to 4 hours a day in the pool.
Joe Maynard, Managing Director at Spectra, said, “We are hugely proud to be associated with a genuine medal hopeful for the Olympics. Jordan is a local lad who deserves all the help he can get for him to achieve his dream of podium glory in Tokyo. We wish him every success and look forward to regular updates on his training up to the event”.
The Paralympic Games will be held in Tokyo, starting on Tuesday, 24 August 2021 and ending on Sunday, 5 September 2021
