Benjamin "Ben" Hance OAM (born 25 July 2000) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, he won a gold, silver and bronze medal and at the 2024 Paris Paralympic, he won a gold and silver medal .[1][2]

Benjamin Hance
OAM
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born25 July 2000 (2000-07-25) (age 24)
Height191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportParalympic swimming
Disability classS14
ClubSt. Andrews
Coached byAshley Delaney

Swimming career

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He is classified as a S14 swimmer. In 2021, Hance holds the world record for the Men's 100 m Backstroke (S14) by swimming a time of 58.88 (1019 points) at the 2021 Australian Multi-Class Swimming Championships .[3]

At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Hance won the gold medal in the Men's 100 m backstroke S14 with a personal best time of 57.73. He also won a bronze medal in the Men's 100 m butterfly S14 with a time of 56.90, less than 2 seconds behind the winner, Gabriel Bandeira from Brazil.[4]

At the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships, Madeira,[5] Hance won four medals - gold in the Men's 100m Backstroke S14, silver in Mixed 4 × 100 m freestyle relay S14 and Mixed 4 × 100 m medley relay S14 and bronze in the Men's 200 m Freestyle S14 In the medley he teamed up with Madeleine McTernan, Ricky Betar, and Ruby Storm.[6] They won the silver medal with a time of 3:46.38, just under 6 seconds behind the winners, Great Britain, who set a world record.[7] He did not medal in two other events.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he won the silver medal in the 200 m freestyle S14.[8] At the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships, Manchester, England, he won four medals - 2 gold, one silver and one bronze medal.

At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, he won the gold medal in the Men's 100 m backstroke S14. He broke the world record in the hears with a time of 56.52. He finished fourth in the Men's 100 m butterfly S14. He was a member of the Mixed 4 x 100 m freestyle S14 that won the silver medal.

In 2023, Hance is coached by Ashley Delaney at St Andrews on the Sunshine Coast. He was previously coached by Nathan Doyle.[9]

Recognition

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  • 2021 - AIS Discovery of the Year at Swimming Australia Awards [10]
  • 2022 – Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020 [11]

References

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  1. ^ "Paralympics Australia Names Powerful Para-Swimming Team For Tokyo". Paralympics Australia. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Paralympics Australia Names Swimming Team For Paris 2024 Games". Paralympics Australia. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Ben Hance". Swimming Australia. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Benjamin Hance Results". Tokyo Paralympics Official Results. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Grant Patterson". 2022 World Para Swimming Championships. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Australian Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  7. ^ "New Trio Of Dolphins Completes Prestigious Commonwealth Games Pod". Commonwealth Games Australia. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  8. ^ "New Trio Of Dolphins Completes Prestigious Commonwealth Games Pod". Commonwealth Games Australia. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Benjamin Hance Results | Commonwealth Games Australia". commonwealthgames.com.au. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Historic Tokyo success celebrated in style". Swimming Australia. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Australia Day 2022 Honours List" (PDF). Governor-General of Australia. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
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