Amy Marren

1. Tell us about yourself and how you got into swimming?

I started swimming lessons when I was four. However, my swimming journey started on a family holiday in Australia with my Nan and Grandad. We were all going to visit my Auntie Mandy, Uncle Andy, cousin Fletcher and new-born cousin Sophie. I learned to swim in my Auntie’s pool in Australia, and it was my Grandad who was always in the pool encouraging me.

My Grandad passed away on the flight home with me and my Nanny, and his one wish was for me to learn to swim properly. Originally, I only began to swim for this reason, and so that my parents could be comfortable with me playing in the pool once we started to go on summer holidays.

2. You have been an ambassador for 'Make a Splash' so, what advice would you give someone who wanted to follow in your footsteps?

It was really fun being a 'Make a Splash' ambassador! Each child that I met had such a positive attitude towards swimming, and you could see that they were having great fun. To me, that is what sport is about - enjoying yourself!

It was also a really important campaign for me to support, as I believe that swimming is such a key life skill to have with learning to swim not being limited by your background. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim, and to have confidence in and around water.

I have so many pieces of advice that I would love to give out, as I feel that sport has taught me so much. My best piece of advice would be to make the most of every opportunity that comes to you, and embrace the opportunity whilst you are in the moment. Time flies so quickly and there are memories that I will keep forever because I was always told to step back and appreciate the chance that you have been given.

3. Having retired from competitive swimming at such an early age. Do you miss it, and would you go back?

I will never fully walk away from a sport that I've loved for so long, and a sport that has shaped me so much as a person. I have been able to travel the world, make friends and learnt so much about myself in the process. These are things that wouldn't have been given to me unless I hadn't swam. Despite retiring from competition, I will always be an advocate for swimming as it is a great way to stay fit, and a great way to escape from the outside world.

Realistically though, I cannot see myself returning to competition. I am so grateful for what swimming has given me, but that chapter has come to a close and I'm now making the most of new experiences. I love going on holiday and I am now training to be a Solicitor. So, I have plenty to keep me busy, focused and excited for the new adventures to come. I am not missing competing, as in my mind I had achieved above and beyond what I could ever have imagined. All of this came out of just being a little girl who loved the water.

4. Out of the Paralympic Bronze medal, the 4 World and 2 European Championship gold medals as well as the 14 International medals you have won, is there one event or medal you are particularly proud of and why?

My Bronze medal of course has to be my most special. I really had a hard couple of years in the lead up to Rio, and having come 4th in London 2012; I knew that I wanted to come home with a medal of my own.

Rio was also an exceptionally hard games. As a team, we had immense pressure and expectations on us. The expectations came from ourselves and our coaches, but we all wanted to do ourselves proud. My Bronze will always be my favourite because I knew that I fought hard to win it, and despite the odds I was still able to perform under immense pressure. I was also able to prove to the doubters that I was able to step up to a challenge when it really counted.

5. How much of an impact does the media have in raising the awareness of disability sport and how can it be improved?

The media is a fantastic tool for everyone, disabled or not. We are in a time where people are encouraged to promote their personal brand mostly through social media.

I personally think that the awareness of disabilities in all industries can be improved; the fashion industry, in the work environment and the fashion industry to name a few. I actually believe that people with disabilities are represented very well in sport and it is the front runner for representing people with disabilities, because we have the Paralympics. I think that London 2012 was the start of a huge shift of attitudes towards disabled people, especially in the UK, because of the media coverage. With the help of the media and the numerous diversity campaigns that have emerged since London 2012, people can now see past people’s disabilities when they compete and can instead appreciate that they are hard-working and extremely dedicated individuals, which I think is really important.

6. How did you prepare for a race?

My race strategy would vary from event to event, and even competition to competition. I would always talk to my Dad, and my coach Gary before any race, religiously. My Dad would calm my nerves and give me pep talks, and my coach would be on side to discuss race strategy. Although these were such small and brief moments, to me these were the most important, because without them I would not have been able to perform.

In terms of race day preparation, I would always have a light breakfast because I would get quite nervous on race days. I would then head to the pool, do some pre-pool and then warm up, often in the competition pool itself. After that, it would depend when my event was, but I would also use that time to listen to music and talk to my team mates. I tried to avoid going on my phone as I knew that I had to maintain focus and keep track of time, so that I didn't miss my race.

Sometimes I do miss the feeling and adrenaline rush that you get when you step up to race as it is such a unique feeling, and nothing in the world has compared to it just yet.

Me and my Dad would always have our little race debriefs in the car, whether or not the race went to plan. I have always had a very supportive family network that would celebrate with me in the good times, and allow me to cry in the bad times.

7. Do you think the classification system has been improved so it is more of "A Level Playing Field" and how can it be improved further?

Classification is a very taboo subject to discuss when you are an athlete, because you do not want to seem bitter or a bad sportsperson. However, I know that is a topic that is very much the main concern for current athletes. Current athletes find it tricky to speak out because they are still in the sport, and it is only since I have retired that I have felt that I can also say what I think of the system.

In my personal opinion, I think that the classification system is the worst that I have seen it, despite the system being revised back in 2018. The system itself is very black and white and although athletes can submit evidence which relates to their disability, it will not always be looked at.

I think the system is not nearly strict enough of those athletes that misrepresent themselves during classification.

Classification was a factor that contributed to my retirement, as although I have the upmost respect for the Paralympic movement, I found it hard to be part of a movement that classifies people unfairly. Since 2018, we have seen World Records that have been unbeatable for years; crumble between heat and final swims. We have seen athletes win almost a pool length in front of their competitors, when previously it would have been hard to predict a winner in a final. We have even seen athletes swim poorly during classification in the hope that it will mean that the're classified lower than they should.

I know that at the moment there is so much frustration and anger within the para swimming community, as there are athletes that have worked their whole lives to get where they are. Then, their successes are snatched away from them in a heartbeat just because another athlete is in the wrong class.

I think that it can be improved, but it will take a lot of work from World Para Swimming and the changes will not be overnight. Firstly, I think that classification should be treated like anti-doping. I believe that athletes should be held accountable and they should be obligated to provide their training schedule. Much like anti-doping, this means that classifiers can watch training sessions or races and assess whether or not the individual has represented their disability correctly. As well as this, I think that neurological conditions and the assessment process needs to be reviewed, especially as neurological conditions make up such a large percentage of disabilities. Lastly, I think that athletes should be able to produce as much evidence as they need to have their condition fairly assessed.

8. How are you still staying involved with Para-Swimming?

I am involved in para-swimmer as a supporter for now! I am and always have been a big supporter. I’m really keen to see how far my friends and former teammates can go and what they can achieve throughout their careers.

I have two Instagram accounts that I use to keep people updated: @thelegalapprentice and @a_marren. Although neither of these pages are swimming specific, they do give an insight into my life, post-swimming.

9. How did you motivate yourself when you faced a challenge?

5am alarms and cold winter mornings could make motivation hard to find at times, but I always knew what I wanted to achieve and I felt like I always had a goal to achieve or even a time to chase. Swimming is an extremely unforgiving sport, so it in incredibly important to be able to motivate yourself. I was very lucky to have a family, a coach and great teammates to work alongside, and they all kept me going. Above all, I loved the feeling of winning medals and being able to celebrate with family and friends. My biggest motivation was to be able to win medals and get that unique feeling again and again.

10. What is the most important lesson you learnt during your swimming career?

My most important lesson was not to let success go to your head. I think it is very easy to get ahead of yourself, especially when you are achieving a lot in such a short amount of time or at a young age. My parents always taught me that you should not forget where you come from, and do not ever forget those that were on the journey with you. It’s a lesson that I have tried to live, and I am sure that it is one that I will continue to use in my new chapter as a Solicitor Apprentice.