Jordan Catchpole: Beccles Paralympic champion appointed MBE

Jordan Catchpole at Beccles swimming pool in Suffolk has been made an MBE by the Queen

A Paralympic gold medallist said it was a dream come true to be appointed MBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours.

Jordan Catchpole, from Beccles, Suffolk, won gold and set a new world record as part of the mixed 4x100m S14 swimming team in Tokyo.

The 21-year-old, who has autism, started swimming aged seven.

The Team Waveney Swimming Club member is also currently a two-time European silver medallist and two-time silver and bronze world champion medallist.

"It's been mad, it's such a dream come true," said Mr Catchpole, who said his family was "happy and proud" with the honour, whose full title is Member of the Order of the British Empire.

"I've known since the beginning of December and it's been hard to keep it a secret... I've no idea who nominated me, it's surreal," he added.

Mr Catchpole said his grandfather encouraged him to get into the sport "quite literally throwing me in the pool".

"There were times when I wanted to quit but my grandad was always there to support me," he said.

Catchpole said his family had stuck by him through the good and bad times in his swimming career

Catchpole said the journey to the games had been "very difficult" as his autism meant he needed routine, something of a challenge during lockdown before the Paralympics.

"When I'm in a routine, my autism doesn't really affect me," he said in September.

"But when I'm out of that routine, everything goes pear-shaped.

"I start getting worried, I get aggravated really quickly and everything goes out the window."

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Catchpole credited his coaches, Tim Millett and Lawrence Lowman, from Team Waveney Swimming Club, for getting him through the challenging time.

Catchpole said his focus was on two major competitions in 2022

He said the Omicron variant had not affected his ability to train for his next major competitions - the World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira in June and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July and August.