Molly Hopkins, 12, from Abercrave has been selected for the British Para-Swimming Academy Programme after learning to swim at Ystradgynlais Sports Centre.

Molly was born without fibulas or any functional bones in her feet and had both feet amputated at Morriston Hospital when she was just eight months old. However, she has never let her disability hold her back and she started swimming lessons aged four.

Unable to take part in team games, swimming allowed Molly to participate in a sport with her peers on an equal level. The safe and friendly environment at Ystradgynlais Sports Centre gave Molly the confidence to enjoy herself, and she discovered a natural talent for swimming. By the age of eight, Molly progressed from group classes to 1-2-1 sessions with qualified Freedom Leisure swimming coaches Howell Evans and Leighton Morgan.

Molly now swims with the Swansea Stingrays disability swimming club and has competed for Wales in events all over the UK. The opportunity to join the British Para-Swimming Academy Programme will see Molly invited to train at World Class Podium Potential Camps where she can gather invaluable experience alongside some of the up-and-coming talent within British Para-Swimming.

Molly is aiming to compete in the Tokyo Paralypmics in 2020, and currently trains six days a week. She goes back to visit Ystradgynlais Sports Centre, which now operated by Freedom Leisure on behalf of Powys County Council, for tips from her old swimming teacher, Leighton Morgan, and is determined to succeed.

“We’re really proud of Molly and what she’s achieved,” says Gareth Hopkins, her father. “She’s incredibly determined – if she can’t make it along to a training session she gets upset and is very excited at the prospect of representing her country at the Paralympics in a few years’ time.”

As well as a proficient swimmer, Molly is a British Champion in the 100m sprint, after being fitted with running blades earlier in the year. She also competes in the Long Jump, as well as playing hockey, rugby and netball.

“It’s great to see how Molly has progressed since she started swimming here,” says Leighton Morgan, Freedom Leisure Assistant Manager. “She trains extremely hard and is very driven. I am positive that she has the potential to reach the very highest level, and Freedom Leisure wishes her all the best for the future.”

For more information on swimming lessons at Ystradgynlais Sports Centre visit www.freedomleisure.co.uk or call 01639 844854.