What makes a champion? Dedication? Yes, surely. Training? Of course. Yet for Jeremy McClure, four-time Australian Paralympian swimmer and Para-triathlete, it comes down to a state of mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether you\u2019re running, cycling, swimming \u2013 any form of endurance sport really – the single biggest thing to conquer is the mental aspect\u201d, says McClure, speaking to Karma Resorts. It\u2019s the day after Australia Day and we\u2019ve managed to snag Jeremy for a quick chat about his latest achievement \u2013 an astonishing double open-water crossing between the mainland and the azure shores of Western Australia\u2019s Rottnest Island.<\/p>\n
Completing the attempt in just 14 hours and 8 minutes, McClure\u2019s achievement makes him the first legally blind swimmer to conquer the 39.4-kilometre return journey.<\/p>\n
McClure says the idea came about after completing his first Karma Resorts Rottnest Channel Swim in 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy main event is the 100-metre backstroke, so I\u2019ve always been a sprinter. Swimming for endurance was definitely something I wanted to try more of\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the London (2012 Paralympic) games I did a few triathlons, it really cemented my interest in endurance sports and marathon-style swimming, but then Rio was coming up so I had to push it back for a while and concentrate on sprint swimming for the games.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of the Australian team at the Rio games, McClure achieved 5th in the 100-metre backstroke. Once back in Perth and still in peak fitness, he decided it was time to attempt the double-crossing to Rottnest.<\/p>\n
McClure took on both a hectic training schedule and fundraising activity for the Alzheimer\u2019s Australia WA branch, eventually donating over $3000.<\/p>\n
Although he could be forgiven for taking a break after an epic 2016, McClure\u2019s already booked in for this year\u2019s Karma Resorts Rottnest Channel Swim. Asked what advice he has for this year\u2019s swimmers, he says it comes down to mental toughness and preparing for the conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty big piece of water out there and conditions can change. You can hope for the best conditions on the day, but I like to prepare for the worst.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry training in conditions similar to what you\u2019ll face on the day \u2013 if it\u2019s a bit rough one day don\u2019t cancel your training session, get out there and swim. It helps to build confidence and that helps to put you in the right state of mind to win.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What makes a champion? Dedication? Yes, surely. Training? Of course. Yet for Jeremy McClure, four-time Australian Paralympian swimmer and Para-triathlete, it comes down to a state of mind. \u201cWhether you\u2019re running, cycling, swimming \u2013 any form of endurance sport really – the single biggest thing to conquer is the mental aspect\u201d, says McClure, speaking to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-destinations","category-events","blog-preview-content","post-without-tags"],"acf":[],"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/devp.karmagroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/channelswim17.jpg","yoast_head":"\n