Deaf athlete to hear Paralympics' crowds for first time

A deaf world championship swimmer has said she "can't wait" to hear the crowds for the first time at the Paris Paralympics.

A rule change in 2023 means Suzanna Hext, from Calne in Wiltshire, can wear her cochlear implants during her race.

Ms Hext, who was born with a hearing impairment and is now profoundly deaf, will be competing in the S5 100m freestyle.

"Having that crowd and that feel of the atmosphere, it's got to give you a buzz to get down that pool pretty quick," said Ms Hext, who was left paralysed from the waist down after a "freak accident".

Cochlear implants are an option for children and adults who are not helped by hearing aids.

Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants work by turning sound into electrical signals and sending them to part of the inner ear called the cochlea.

Suzanna Hext is feeling a "mix of emotions" ahead of the Paris Paralympics

The Truro-born swimmer first competed in the games in Tokyo 2020, where there were no crowds due to Covid.

Ms Hext was also unwell during her first Paralympics, so said the experience "wasn't the best".

She added she was "super excited" for the Paralympic Games, which will take place between 28 August to 8 September.

"Obviously absolutely terrified as well, so it's a kind of mix of emotions," she said.

As well as being able to hear the crowd's cheers, having the "massive support" of her friends and family there would make a "huge difference", she said.

"Emotionally, I wouldn't be where I am today without my family and my partner and friends.

"Its a team effort to get to this point," she added.

'A rollercoaster'

In 2012, aged 23, the promising young horse rider was left paralysed from the waist down after a "freak accident" while riding. She broke her pelvis, spinal cord, shoulder and suffered a brain injury.

"Before my accident, life in some ways slotted into place. Life felt pretty perfect," she told BBC Radio Somerset.

But then her "whole world fell apart".

She said it had changed the way she looked at life.

"It does make you treasure every moment that bit more. I feel very lucky to be here today.

"If you think of how far I've come from the day my parents got the phone call to say I'd had my accident... it's been a rollercoaster," she added.

Ms Hext claimed her first world title in the S5 50m freestyle last year

Ms Hext, who trains at Team Bath, said she was "in a rut" while in hospital, but was lucky the Paralympics were being shown on TV.

"That gave me that nugget of hope.

"Seeing athletes completely smashing it despite their disability, I was like, well, if they can do it, I can do it.

"There's so many challenges in daily life that I have," she said, adding they "just go" when she is riding or swimming.

Looking ahead to the Paris Paralympics, the athlete said: "I just want to fully immerse myself in the whole experience.

"Being around teammates, cheering each other on, that's a massive part of it.

"Obviously I'd love to win a medal, but if I come out of Paris giving it everything I've got and knowing that I put everything in that I can, then I'll be over the moon."

In 2023, she won the Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester only days after recovering from respiratory illness related to her asthma that ended with her being admitted to a high-dependency hospital.