PROUD Benjamin

General
ATTITUDE SHIFT
He said his attitude to swimming changed after winning a world title in the 50m butterfly in 2017, and that he felt better prepared to add an Olympic medal to his collection in 2020 than he did in 2016. He finished fourth in the 50m freestyle at the 2016 Games Rio de Janeiro. "I still feel I'm in my infancy. My initial drive was to win that [world] title and the whole reason I swum. So, my drive has changed and it's not about fast times or winning medals but being the best I can be. I don't think I was ready for a medal in Rio [in 2016], but the result spurred me on to improve." (standard.co.uk, 01 Aug 2018)

COMMONWEALTH DISQUALIFICATION
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia he was disqualified following his 50m butterfly heat for movement on the starting blocks. He appealed the decision but the disqualification was upheld. "Unfortunately before the start signal I was judged to have moved my leg and the referee deemed this enough for a disqualification. I really wanted to come into the competition to retain both my titles [50m butterfly, 50m freestyle] and to have that opportunity taken away in the first heat is heart-breaking. There was so much invested in that and my world just shattered. It's the first time I have been disqualified at that level but better there than at the Olympics." (smh.com.au, 05 Apr 2018; standard.co.uk, 01 Aug 2018; bbc.co.uk, 05 Apr 2018)

TRAINING IN TURKEY
He moved to Turkey in February 2017 to train under coach James Gibson at the Energy Standard club, and spends most of the year there. "At the elite end of sport we're entering quite dangerous territory. To be number one or two in the world, you really have to be committed. It's the way sports are going now, it has to be 11-and-a-half months a year. The life of a swimmer can be draining but I'm driven to be the best swimmer I can be." (standard.co.uk, 01 Aug 2018)

SWITCHING FOCUS
He began his swimming career as a butterfly specialist. After finishing school and joining Plymouth Leander swimming club, he began to focus more on freestyle because the 50m butterfly is not an Olympic event. "Originally when I started swimming I was a 50m butterflyer - that was my event. That was the event I enjoyed the most and it was really the reason I got into swimming. But, since it's not an Olympic event, my focus switched to freestyle when I joined Plymouth [Leander]." (swimswam.com, 22 Mar 2016)

RAISED IN MALAYSIA
His family moved to Malaysia when he was five months old and he lived there until age 16. He competed for Alice Smith School, a British international school in Malaysia, under coach Francis Kiu. He hopes to return to Malaysia after his swimming career is over to train and work with local children. "Malaysia is my home, and forever will be." (swimswam.com, 01 Sep 2018; thesundaily.my, 10 Sep 2017; straitstimes.com, 26 Jul 2017)