Swimmer Hector Pardoe aims for record glory ahead of Paris 2024

Hector Pardoe said he was "really confident going into the next season"

Marathon swimmer Hector Pardoe said his confidence was "reborn" after suffering an eye injury at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as he ramped up preparations for next year's Games.

The swimmer was hit by an elbow during the men's 10km marathon swimming event in 2021, ending his race early.

Pardoe, 22, who grew up and trained in Shropshire, spoke as he prepared to take down the British record time to cross Lake Windermere on Saturday.

He said he felt "massively motivated".

Reflecting on his ordeal at the Tokyo Olympics, Pardoe said: "It did knock my confidence a bit.

"I was at the pinnacle of sport, everyone is watching the Olympics, right? Then that goes and happens to me, so it was tough to get over and come back from."

However, two years on, he is determined to come back stronger next year in Paris.

In July this year, he came 10th at the World Championships in Fukuoka in the men's 10km race and 15th in the 5km race.

"I'm massively motivated, the chance to qualify for my second Olympics, redeem it all, and actually finish with a place to my name - it's all or nothing really.

"I feel like I've tackled that issue now. This year I have just completed has been fantastic and I'm really confident going into the next season.

"I've had my confidence reborn."

He is preparing to take down the British record time to cross Lake Windermere

The Team GB star's next step towards the plane for France takes place on Saturday, as he tackles Lake Windermere's 26-year-old British record.

To achieve the feat, Pardoe will have to swim the 10.5-mile (16.8km) length of the lake in under three hours, 48 minutes and four seconds.

The distance swimmer, who trains at Loughborough University, is also completing the swim on behalf of the Lake District Foundation, to raise money to improve the water quality of lakes in the UK.

Welsh international Pardoe explained that the recent cancellation of the Paris 2024 Open Water Test Event due to poor water quality, partnered with his desire to break the record, is his reason for taking on the swim.

"What [is there] better to do than go and swim iconic lakes like Lake Windermere - England's longest lake - and try to take down the current record in the process?" he said.

"I've come off the back of the Paris World Cup being cancelled due to water quality, so what better charity to raise money for is there than a Lake Windermere conservation charity?

"It will hugely aid the Lake District Foundation and what they are trying to achieve.

"Hopefully I break the record, raise loads of money and do it in the name of a good charity."

Pardoe said the year he had just completed "has been fantastic"

There is a real concern that poor water quality is endangering the sport. He told the BBC: "It is scary, especially for the future for open water swimming.

"I've noticed it more this year, it wasn't just Paris, it was also in Fukuoka, Japan, at the World Championships.

"It is damaging the sport and its growth. It's a shame."