Ben Proud

Benjamin Proud
Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	21 September 1994 (age 30); London, England, UK
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, Butterfly
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing England
Commonwealth Games
Representing Great Britain
European Championships

Benjamin Proud is an English swimmer and member of the British Swim team,^[1] currently holding two British records, as well as being the Commonwealth champion in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle events. He is a remarkably new face to have risen so quickly, and he is expected to achieve many more great feats in the swimming world.

Growing up

Benjamin Proud grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and attended the Alice Smith School from kindergarten until year 12, when he left to pursue his swimming career further. He competed for the school and was privately trained by Mr. Kiu, a professional Malaysian swimmer, as well as at school. He attended many swim meets across Southeast Asia, including the Flying Fish meet in Phuket, Thailand. Although he lives in Plymouth where he attends university, his life is still very much based in Malaysia and he often vists his friends and family there.

Education

Beginning two years ago, Benjamin Proud became a student of St. Mark and St. John, Plymouth where he is currently studying for a Sports Development & Coaching degree.^[2]

Swimming performances and accomplishments

Last season, Benjamin Proud won a silver medal in the 50m Butterfly -his strongest event- in the European Junior Championships, which put him on the map as the fastest British sprinter at the British Gas International Meet in 2013, winning a gold in the Fly, and going on later to win a silver in the 50m Free in Leeds. After his initial victories, he rose through the ranks and broke the decade-long 50m Butterfly standing record twice, in the semis and final, giving him his first British Gas Swimming Championship title at the age of 19.

He went on the break his personal best times for the 50m and 100m Freestyles, earning himself a silver and bronze, as well as a spot on the British team for the 2013 World Championships being held in Barcelona. Unsurprisingly, Proud did incredibly, finishing 18th in the 50m Free, and 11th in the 50m Fly.^[3] In 2014, still only 19 years old, Ben won his first senior international medals on his Commonwealth debut for England at Glasgow. The following month, Proud won a gold and a bronze in the 4x100m Medley Relay and the 50m Fly for Team GB at his first European Championships.^[4]